A 61-year-old Gillette woman is in custody after shooting her partner in the hip during an argument at her apartment Thursday afternoon.
Tangia Merchant, 61, has been charged with second-degree attempted murder after allegedly shooting Ericka McCuin, who was found lying on her stomach in the hallway of Merchant’s apartment with a gunshot wound to her left hip.
She was taken to Campbell County Health, where she remained in surgery at the time of Merchant’s arrest. As of late afternoon Friday, McCuin remained in the intensive care unit, according to a hospital employee.
Merchant was transported to the Campbell County Detention Center and made her initial appearance in Campbell County Circuit Court on Friday afternoon.
If convicted, Merchant faces between 20 years to life in prison, a fine of no more than $10,000, or both.
Argument Ensues
The fight between the two women began Thursday afternoon when McCuin came to Merchant’s apartment on Prairieview Drive in central Gillette to visit with Merchant’s daughter, Merlin Scott, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Merchant and McCuin told police they have been in a romantic relationship for eight years and moved together to Gillette in 2019. Both maintain their own apartments to which both women have keys.
Merchant later told police that she was recovering from surgery and that McCuin had stopped by to check on her twice the day prior, which bothered Merchant because she was trying to sleep.
She told McCuin “to stop coming over every 2 minutes,” court documents state.
McCuin abided by Merchant’s wishes, leaving her alone until about 2:45 p.m. Thursday when she showed up with Merlin. The two rang the doorbell instead of using McCuin’s key, which Merchant found odd since she had a key, but she walked to the door and let them both in, according to the affidavit.
At some point the two women began arguing with Merchant accusing McCuin of being a “narcissist,” which led to them screaming at one another and giving each other’s apartment keys back.
Merchant told police that McCuin “aggressively put the key into her hand” and then started poking Merchant in the forehead with her finger at which point Merchant asked the two to leave.
On their way out, McCuin allegedly knocked a jar of pickles off the kitchen counter onto the floor, prompting Merchant to tell the other woman that she “could not just come in and trash her apartment,” according to the affidavit.
Merchant said that McCuin then pushed past Scott and began running down the hallway toward her, so she allegedly shot her with a .380 Sig Sauer pistol she keeps on her bed, court documents state.
She told police that she typically does not keep a round in the chamber and normally takes the magazine out during the day, but that day the magazine was already in the gun, so she didn’t need to load it.
Merchant told police that she had to rack the slide to chamber a round before she fired, shooting McCuin, who ran another six steps before falling to the floor, says the affidavit.
McCuin yelled, “She shot me!” while Merchant directed Scott to call for an ambulance before walking back into her room and unloading the gun.
She later told officers that McCuin can’t “keep bullying me and getting away with it,” according to the affidavit.
Merchant further told police that McCuin allegedly had a history of violence and had pushed and broke two of Merchant’s fingers in February 2023.
She said this was the worst — and last — physical altercation between the two.
Going Chest To Chest
Scott told a slightly different story about how events unfolded that afternoon. Scott said she and McCuin had stopped by to bring her mother some food.
They visited with Merchant in her bedroom for about 10 minutes before the couple began arguing “chest to chest” but with no physical altercation, according to the affidavit.
Scott said McCuin reportedly pointed her finger at Merlin’s face but did not physically touch her at which point Merchant told them to leave.
After McCuin knocked over the pickles, Merchant became angry, running towards McCuin from her bedroom.
Scott tried to get between the two women, but McCuin pushed her towards the kitchen while Merchant retreated to the bedroom and pulled a gun from out of “nowhere,” Scott told police.
Merchant then held out the gun which she pointed at the ground as the two other women stood near the kitchen.
“If you’re going to shoot me, shoot me,” McCuin said with her arms down at her side as she took a step down the hall toward Merchant at which point Merchant allegedly shot the gun.
“I can’t believe you shot me,” McCuin said, according to the affidavit.
Merchant directed Scott to call an ambulance, allegedly saying, “She’s not going to die, I shot her in the leg.”
Merchant refused to put down the gun until police arrived, court documents state.
Police determined this was not a case of self-defense and charged Merchant with attempted second-degree murder.
Jen Kocher can be reached at jen@cowboystatedaily.com.
