A woman from Las Vegas was arrested after she accidentally shot her boyfriend while they were engaged in a makeshift photo shoot with a gun.
Officers responded to a 911 call just before 5 a.m. on August 23rd regarding a shooting at a residence approximately three miles from the North Las Vegas Airport.
Upon arrival, they found Mark Gaugan lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his neck. Despite the efforts of emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, Gaugan, 23, was taking pictures of his girlfriend, Alisandra Blair, at the time of the incident.
During these early morning photo sessions, Blair, who is 20, was posing with a firearm when it unintentionally discharged, fatally wounding Gaugan.
On August 26th, the Clark County District Attorney’s Office charged Blair with murder using a deadly weapon.
She was taken into custody that same day without issue and booked at the Clark County Detention Center.
Investigators recovered two Polaroid photos—one showing Blair with the gun and another featuring a knife.
The individual who reported the shooting, identified as Gaugan’s friend, stated that early in the morning, the two women had decided to do a photo shoot.
He confirmed to police that he had previously unloaded the firearm and removed the magazine before handing it over to Blair for the shoot.
After taking some pictures, he said his girlfriend went inside to change, claiming that she reloaded the magazine before coming back outside.
Blair reportedly told police that the shooting was accidental, noting that neither she nor Gaugan had received any firearms training.
However, investigators found texts suggesting that Blair had a strong interest in guns. These messages, obtained through a search warrant, included images of her posing with various firearms.
Some messages raised red flags, including one in which Blair remarked she wished she could shoot people and referred to targeting specific groups.
In another exchange, Gaugan had mentioned using a dummy as a target, to which Blair replied about the desire to “shoot someone real.”
A review of her social media hinted at her familiarity with firearms and experiences related to them.
During her initial court appearance in Las Vegas Township Court on Tuesday, Blair was assigned a public defender. Her preliminary hearing is set for October 2nd.
