The 1324 Broadway Ave., Parkersburg, residence where police say William Nutter shot and killed his brother, Charles Cottle, Sunday afternoon is seen on Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — A man is being held without bond after allegedly shooting and killing his brother during a fight on Mother’s Day.

William A. Nutter, 40, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon at 1324 Broadway Ave., Parkersburg, after police responded there to a report of shots fired, Parkersburg Police Chief Joe Martin said.

“Upon arrival, we discovered … three family members were involved in a domestic dispute that resulted in a shooting,” Martin said.

Nutter was arraigned Monday morning on a charge of first-degree murder.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Wood County Magistrate Court, officers found Nutter’s mother outside the residence and pointing back to the door, yelling, “He did it!” Nutter then exited the house and reportedly told police he “had to defend himself.”

Inside, officers found the body of Nutter’s brother, Charles Ryan Cottle, 29, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, the complaint says.

Investigation revealed Nutter had assaulted his mother and Cottle intervened, the complaint says. The altercation moved downstairs, where the woman heard loud pops and came down to see Nutter firing a gun into the kitchen, it says.

Cottle was found to have been shot nine times in the torso and hip areas, the complaint says. Officers recovered multiple shell casings and a live round from the kitchen, along with a 9-millimeter handgun from the living room, it says.

Magistrate paperwork lists a Chicopee, Mass., address for Nutter, but Martin said he had been staying at the Broadway Avenue residence with his mother and brother.

Because murder is a capital offense, bond was not set at the magistrate hearing. The matter will instead be taken up in Wood County Circuit Court.

Martin said Nutter has a “lengthy” criminal record, including serving time in prison from 2009 to 2011 for breaking and entering. Nutter has also been charged in the past with being a felon in possession of a firearm, the chief said.

To whom the gun belonged and how Nutter came to be in possession of it are being investigated, Martin said.

Although a preliminary examination determined the gunshots were the cause of death, Cottle’s body has been sent to the West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, Martin said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.