A young woman fired her gun in defense after, she said, a man hit her in the head from behind while at her father’s residence on North Walker St. in Hope New Year day.

According to the victim, Nikorean Muldrow, 19, of Hope, AR, was with others at the residence around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 1 when he took a hammer in his hand and became aggressive toward her. She said Muldrow cursed at her and told her to shut up just before she turned away from him and felt something hit her in the side of the head. She said she was told Muldrow hit her with the hammer, but she didn’t see him attack her. The victim said she pulled a gun and fired a few times to scare him away from her and someone called the police.

Officers from the Hope Police Department and Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office responded to the house on N. Walker after a dispatch of shots fired. The victim said that when officers arrived, Muldrow was still holding the hammer while trying to fight with someone in the street. He was taken into custody by officers, arrested and transported to the Hempstead County Detention Center.

Detectives interviewed the victim and witnesses and collected evidence for the investigation into the incident.

No ambulance was dispatched for the victim, but she said she was going to the emergency room to be checked for her injuries. She was not arrested or fined at the scene for discharging the firearm though police did confiscate it for the investigation.

The investigation is ongoing. For now, Muldrow is being held for aggravated assault. We will update as more information is made available.