In the winter of 2022, the city of Schenectady was rocked by its first homicide of the year, a violent end to the life of 38-year-old Rasheem Cotman. On the evening of February 16th, the sound of gunfire shattered the quiet near Third Avenue and Davis Terrace. Responding to the reports shortly before 8:30 p.m., police arrived to a chaotic scene. A car had crashed into the porch of a residence at 1604 Third Avenue.
Inside the vehicle, they found Rasheem Cotman, a male resident of Menands, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate response and treatment from Schenectady firefighter paramedics, Cotman’s injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into his death was launched immediately, with the Schenectady Police Department leading the efforts, assisted by the New York State Police Major Crimes Bureau. Detectives began the arduous process of piecing together the events that led to the fatal shooting, urging anyone with information to come forward and contact their TIPS Line.
As the investigation progressed, details of Cotman's past came to light. In 2017, he had been convicted of concealment of a corpse in Columbia County. This charge was related to the 2016 death of Halle Schmidt, who died from a heroin overdose. Cotman, a resident of Queens at the time, admitted his involvement in the case, which ultimately led to the discovery of Schmidt's body. He was sentenced to prison and was subsequently released on parole in May of 2019.
Despite the ongoing investigation into his own untimely death, there has been little public movement in the case. To date, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with the murder of Rasheem Cotman. The search for his killer continues as authorities work to bring a resolution to the city's first homicide of that year and provide answers to his family.
