A last minute plea offer was introduced in a shooting case before DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman on Oct.6.
Nigel Pulliam, 32, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to commit robbery while armed, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a dangerous weapon, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition in connection to a non-fatal shooting and robbery. The shooting took place on the 2000 block of Benning Road NE on Aug. 29, 2022, and the robbery took place on the 700 block of 14th Street, NE on Sept. 23, 2022.
At the end of the proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that they had extended a plea offer and the defense stated they needed more time to discuss it with their client. The offer would require Pulliam to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and serve eight years imprisonment.
Problems in the prosecution’s case became apparent that a Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) officer that recovered the shell casings from the scene was unavailable to testify, which compromised the notion that the evidence hadn’t been altered police custody.
The prosecution called the officer that responded to the Aug. 29 shooting to testify. He stated that he was called out for a shooting alert and reviewed security footage from a nearby convenience store.
According to the officer, the footage showed the suspect walking in and out of the establishment, before pulling out a gun and firing twice across the street. He said that the victim came up to the police as they canvassed the area and identified Pulliam as the shooter.
A surgeon from the Washington Medical Center also testified to removing what appeared to be bullet fragments from the forearm of the victim. The witness testified that the wound seemed to be old, and had already mostly healed, but that he was worried about potential nerve damage from a foreign body in the arm. He removed the remnants under local anesthetic and ordered a nerve test but stated that he never received the results, and did not see the victim after that.
The police officer who allegedly recovered a firearm from Pulliam testified that he responded to a traffic stop and found the weapon under the Pulliam’s seat. The witness testified that the stop took place on Sept. 6, 2022, which would have been a week after the shooting. The witness testified that he confiscated the firearm from the vehicle.
According to police documents, Pulliam was arrested after this stop but not charged. He was not formally accused of anything until he was picked up following a Sept. 23, 2022 robbery.
A ballistics expert came in to testify that bullet casings he was provided and test firings from the weapon recovered from Pulliam had consistent markings. The witness also identified the firearm as a Polymer 80 9mm, otherwise known as a “ghost gun”, which was built with second-hand Glock components and a 3D printed frame so that it can not be registered or traced through a serial number.
Trial is set to reconvene on Oct. 7.
