MANCHESTER, NH – A dispute between two friends over a woman reportedly led to the shooting last week of a man who was hospitalized in critical condition, according to court records.
Antwone Cousins, 39, last known address of 21 Nazing St., Boston, Mass., is under arrest on charges of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon and being a convicted felon in possession of a dangerous weapon.
Cousins was arrested Monday after he turned himself in. Police obtained an arrest warrant for him on April 21, 2021, two days after Marquis Anderson, 38, was shot twice, once in the lower left leg and once in the lower right abdomen, about 9:15 p.m. outside DraftKings, 1279 South Willow St.
Police interviewed a woman, identified only as “C.L.” in court papers, who was seen with Cousins outside the casino just minutes before the shooting happened. The interview took place on April 21 at the Chichester office of her attorney Mark Sisti.
She told police that night she had gone to DraftKings and was sitting at a gaming table with “Stix,” Cousins’ nickname. She said the two had had a very brief relationship and had gone on a few dates together.
As she was leaving Cousins said he was as well and that he would walk her to her vehicle. C.L. said when they were in the parking lot she heard tires squeal and saw Anderson step out from between two parked vehicles.
Anderson, she said, said something confrontational and reached towards his waist. C.L. said she felt something bad was about to happen so she went back inside DraftKings. As she walked away, she said she heard gunshots.
She told investigators that Cousins and Anderson used to be close friends but had a recent falling out over another woman with whom they both had had a relationship.
Inside the casino, C.L. was recorded being led out a back door by N.G., a server who, according to video viewed by investigators, appeared to have a relationship with both her and Cousins.
Investigators spoke with the general manager of DraftKings and learned the casino has about 60 4K high-definition video surveillance cameras recording both the inside and outside of the business. They viewed various videos, one of which recorded the shooting.
The recording differs from the woman’s account.
According to the affidavit of Detective Brian Fleming, the video records Cousins and the woman walking west in the parking lot near the first row of parked vehicles. They separate from each other and Cousins continues to walk west in the parking lot.
Cousins pulls out a gun and fires rounds toward Anderson. Anderson is seen falling to the ground and crawling under a parked pickup truck. Cousins is then recorded walking west out of view of the camera.
A witness, identified in court documents as “K.M.,” reported seeing a man, later identified as Cousins, pull out a firearm and begin shooting at Anderson. K.M. said the shooter appeared to fire five rounds but said it appeared the gun malfunctioned. When it did, K.M. said the shooter walked away toward a darker-colored Nissan parked in the northern portion of the lot. The shooter got into the passenger side of the car and the driver proceeded to exit the lot toward Hannaford supermarket.
KM also told police that prior to the shooting the two men appeared to have a conversation and he saw what appeared to be a “hand-to-hand drug transaction,” according to Fleming’s affidavit.
As part of the investigation, detectives searched public Facebook accounts which led to the identity of the woman with Cousins and a connection to the DraftsKing server. C.L. had posted a photo of herself earlier in the day of the shooting wearing the same pantsuit she wore at DraftKings.
Police also were aided by a Crimeline tip they received on April 20, 2021, that said, “I heard thru someone that marquis and antwone had an earlier altercation earlier this month and then both parties were at draft kings where another altercation took place and Antwone shot marquis.”
Manchester Crimeline, in partnership with Anagnost Properties, owner of DraftKings, offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person responsible for the shooting.
Court spokesman Tammy Jackson said parties in the case worked out an agreement so an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday in Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District was cancelled.
Cousins was being held on preventative detention, that is without bail.
