A city man faces five felony charges in connection with a June 23 shooting, an incident which the victim says happened after she requested payment for a tattoo.
Malachi Yahtues, 40, of 406 Hanover St., Apt. 1, Manchester, was charged by Manchester Police with five felonies: first degree assault; two counts of criminal threatening; witness tampering; and career Felon in possession of a firearm/career armed criminal.
According to police, at about 12:30 a.m. on June 23 Ashley Willows, 29, of East High Street, reported she was hit with two bullets while inside her apartment, information she gave police during an interview at Elliot Hospital where she was being treated for minor injuries to her hip and chest.
Willows told police that she was inside her apartment when she was drawn to the window and then heard multiple gunshots. She was struck by two bullets that landed with enough force to knock her to the ground, but did not penetrate her skin.
Police detectives followed up on information provided by Willows and identified the alleged shooter as Yahtues.
Further investigation determined that Willows had walked to Yahtues’ home two days earlier, at around 2 p.m. on June 21, in an attempt to retrieve money Yahtues owed her for a tattoo she had given him. Yahtues refused to pay, allegedly became irate with her and punched her, and threatened to harm her. Based on the assault and threat, Willows said she fled the area and ran back to her nearby apartment.
The June 21 incident was not reported to police until after the June 23 shooting.
Yahtues was arraigned on all five charges. A probable cause hearing date has not yet been set.
