Allysandra Blea, 20, has been charged with open murder with a deadly weapon following the death of 23-year-old Mark Gaughan in Las Vegas. Police were called just before 5 a.m. on 23 August after reports of a man shot, and found Gaughan on a sidewalk with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives determined that Gaughan was taking photographs of Blea posing with a gun by a vehicle when the weapon discharged. The Clark County District Attorney's Office formally charged Blea on 26 August, and she was arrested without incident the same day and booked into Clark County Detention Center. She is due to appear in court on 2 October.
According to an arrest report obtained by Fox 5 Vegas, the boyfriend of a knife-wielding model who made the 911 call said he had checked the gun and ensured the magazine was removed before handing it to Blea. His girlfriend later claimed that when she returned outside after changing her outfit, the magazine had been reloaded. Blea told investigators the shooting was an accident and that she believed the gun contained no rounds, adding that she had taken a gun safety course.
However, investigators found that Blea had a "fascination with firearms" after reviewing her social media accounts and messages. The report noted photographs of her posing with weapons and building an arsenal. In one message, she allegedly wrote: "I wish I could shoot people with real guns and get away with it," and later discussed killing sex workers and homeless people. When Gaughan suggested using dummies for targets, she allegedly replied: "We gotta shoot someone real. Going to be the tunnels. If it's only one a night the police will remain clueless."
Detectives also recovered a Polaroid photo of Blea posing with a gun and another of a girl brandishing a knife from the scene. Police wrote in the report: "In review of her social media account, Allysandra appeared to have knowledge and experience of firearms and, more importantly, shooting firearms."
