A woman has been accused of a violent machete attack that took place at a shelter in Galveston earlier in June. The incident, which left three people injured, culminated in the woman being shot by the police. The accused, Naaja Young, 26, of Houston, faces three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a single count of arson, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
According to court records, Young carried out the attack on June 5 at the Resource & Crisis Center of Galveston County. This non-profit organization provides shelter to individuals seeking refuge from domestic abuse and sexual violence. The complaint elaborates how Young allegedly was able to start a fire in the center's residential area before proceeding to strike an employee with a machete. It's stated that she had previously asked to go and retrieve her belongings from a secure location.
Following the in-house assault, Young continued the attack outside, damaging an unoccupied parked car. When police responded, she then began to aggressively hit a patrol car with the weapon. "She turned her attention to the second officer who arrived on the scene and ran towards his car with the machete and began attacking his car," Galveston Police Chief Doug Balli told FOX26 Houston. The officer subsequently fired at Young, striking her at least once, and she was admitted to the University of Texas Medical Branch for treatment.
Hospitalized for nearly two weeks, Young was subsequently booked into Galveston County Jail, where she is being held on a $450,000 bond. Information sourced from the Houston Chronicle also reveals that Young's home address is listed as an affordable-living apartment complex meant for senior citizens. In a past incident in 2021, Young had been charged with aggravated assault of a family member after allegedly threatening a man and two police officers with a knife. The next court appearance for Young is expected to be in July.
In the wake of the attack, the executive director of the Resource & Crisis Center, Cecily Wilson Henderson, issued a statement thanking the police and lauding the staff for their response. "We are immensely proud of our staff for handling the situation as they were trained to do," Henderson wrote, as obtained by the Houston Chronicle. The center also informed that the injured staff member was recovering well.
