Man Accused By Cops Of Firing Bullet Through Manchester Apartment Floor

MANCHESTER, NH — A Queen City man is facing felony charges after being accused of shooting through the floor of an apartment into another unit below on Friday.

Around 1 p.m., police were sent to Boutwell Street to investigate a shooting report from earlier in the day. The victim told police that a couple of hours before, he heard a loud noise and thought someone had thrown a rock against his apartment window. Later though, he found plaster on the floor and a bullet nearby.

“Arriving officers,” Heather Hamel, the public information officer for the department, said, “saw a hole in the ceiling directly above the plaster.”

Investigators determined Merlin Umana, 25, of Manchester, was in the apartment directly above the victim’s and accused him of firing a gun through the floor. They also accused him of removing the gun from the apartment after the shooting, Hamel said. A warrant was issued for Umana, and he was arrested on Tuesday.

Umana was charged with reckless conduct and falsifying physical evidence, both felonies.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.