Teenager pleads guilty to charges

The 19-year-old man accused of shooting and wounding four Mojave High School students and two other people at a bus stop has pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and agreed to testify against two co-defendants.

Nicco Tatum pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder with a deadly weapon for his role in the Dec. 11 bus stop shooting at Walnut and Alexander roads.

He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder with a deadly weapon in the shooting of a woman that took place several days before the bus stop incident, according to a separate plea agreement.

As part of his plea, Tatum will have to testify against Dresden Williams, 18, and Franklin Jackson, 17, who also are defendants in the bus stop shooting, the agreement said. Tatum, who signed off on the pleas in May and June, remains in custody.

In January, a grand jury indicted Tatum, Williams and Jackson on multiple counts, including attempted murder, battery and conspiracy.

The grand jury also indicted Erica Adams, 20, on drug charges and with being an accessory. She is accused of helping Williams and Jackson avoid arrest.

Adams also has been sentenced to four to 10 years in prison on unrelated robbery charges and conspiracy to violate the controlled substance act, said her attorney James Ruggeroli, her attorney.

Authorities said Williams, Jackson and Tatum plotted to ambush a Mojave High School student in December because Tatum got into an altercation with the student.

Witnesses and authorities accused Tatum of being one of the shooters who fired into the crowd at the bus stop. Six people, ages 14 to 21, were hit.

Tatum fled Las Vegas after the shooting. He was arrested in Denver when he stepped off a Greyhound bus bound for Chicago.

According to a police report, Tatum said Williams and Jackson were responsible for the shooting. Other witnesses also told police that Williams and Jackson fired the shots.

Williams and Jackson are cousins originally from Louisiana.

On Dec. 5, Tatum shot 40-year-old Tracy Beavers after she confronted him about taunting her dog, authorities said.

According to a Las Vegas police report, Tatum was with a group of men and teenagers when they walked past Beavers' home, which is a few blocks from where the bus stop shooting occurred.

Tatum reportedly taunted Beavers' dog after it barked at him. The group left, but Beavers caught up with them down the block and confronted them about her dog, the report said.

Tatum and Beavers argued and Tatum fired six shots, hitting her twice in the stomach, the report said.

Tatum is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday for the Dec. 5 shooting. However, his plea agreement said that sentencing in all cases will be postponed until after Williams and Jackson go to trial.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.