Chattanooga woman arrested in March 31 shooting on Tunnel Boulevard

Rosana Hughes, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
·2 min read

Apr. 13—A Chattanooga woman was arrested Friday in connection with a March 31 shooting that left two women injured.

According to Hamilton County court records, four people were arguing with each other outdoors at a Tunnel Boulevard address just after midnight on March 31.

It was a man arguing with his son and the man's estranged wife arguing with his girlfriend, 38-year-old Niki Voltaire, court records state.

At some point during the argument, a woman stepped out of her nearby apartment, saw the people arguing and told them to leave. But as she was walking away, she heard a gunshot and realized she'd been shot in the left leg.

She told police she did not see who shot her and didn't know the people who were arguing.

Police spoke to multiple witnesses during the investigation.

One of the witnesses told police Voltaire pulled a gun out of her purse, and the estranged wife asked her, "Are you going to shoot me?"

That's when the first shooting victim walked up, and Voltaire pointed the gun at her instead and pulled the trigger, authorities said. No explanation was provided in court records.

The gun did not go off that time, but Voltaire "appeared to take the safety off" and pulled the trigger again, the records say, adding that the gun went off that time, hitting the first victim in the chest.

Other people surrounded Voltaire after the first shot, and she shot the second victim — the woman walking back to her apartment — "out of fear," one witness told investigators.

The women, ages 44 and 23, were taken to a hospital for treatment. Their injuries were not considered life threatening.

Voltaire is charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment.

She is scheduled to appear in court on April 14.

Contact Rosana Hughes at 423-757-6327, rhughes@timesfreepress.com or follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.

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