A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury convicted Joseph Gordon, 37, of first-degree assault, using a handgun in the commission of a felony, and possessing a firearm as a disqualified person, following a July 2025 shooting in White Oak that left 40-year-old Horacio Daswell wounded. Jurors acquitted Gordon of the more serious charges of attempted first- and second-degree murder after deliberating for about seven hours, according to Bethesda Magazine.
The shooting happened on July 28, 2025, in the 11400 block of Lockwood Drive, according to Bethesda Magazine. Officers responded to reports of a shooting at about 9:45 a.m. and found Daswell with a gunshot wound to the arm. Officers provided life-saving measures before Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews transported him to a hospital in serious condition. He survived.
From Alleged Dispute to Arrest at a Four Corners McDonald's
Investigators identified Gordon as a suspect after learning of an alleged dispute between the two men, according to court records cited in the outlet's reporting. Police located and arrested Gordon at a McDonald's in Four Corners on Aug. 20, 2025, and charged him with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in a felony violent crime, and illegal possession of a firearm, as reported by Bethesda Magazine.
A prior conviction had disqualified Gordon from possessing a regulated firearm, and both the prosecution and defense acknowledged that record during trial. Judge Louis Leibowitz instructed jurors to treat the prior conviction as an undisputed fact. Assistant State's Attorney Brian Rubinstein told jurors the evidence showed Gordon intended to leave Daswell dead from multiple gunshot wounds, per the same report.
Cellphone Data and a Warrant Search Became Key Evidence
FBI Special Agent Garrett Swick testified that he examined Gordon's cellphone records from the day of the shooting, tracking and mapping his movements using timing advance data, which estimates a phone's distance from a cell tower based on signal timing. The analysis placed Gordon within 0.19 miles of the shooting scene that morning, as noted by Bethesda Magazine. Swick testified that timing advance data is very accurate and is used to search for missing people.
Detective Daniel Williams, who works for the Montgomery County Police Department's Electronic Crimes Unit, testified that an analysis of Gordon's phone revealed an internet search for outstanding warrants in Montgomery County within 24 hours of the shooting. No firearm was ever recovered in the investigation, as reported by Bethesda Magazine.
Defense Challenged Witness Credibility and Evidence Handling
Defense attorney Rodney Hermann argued the state's case relied on circumstantial evidence and failed to establish Gordon's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Hermann challenged the credibility of a state witness who identified Gordon as responsible, pointing out that the witness had not seen the shooting and had an incentive to cooperate while facing potential drug charges. The defense also questioned the state's interpretation of surveillance footage, the reliability of cellphone location data, and how physical evidence was handled, according to the article.
Hermann declined to comment on the verdict. Prosecutors did not respond to an emailed request for comment sent Friday morning, per the same account. Gordon's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.
