20-Year-Old Allysandra Blea Shoots Dead Her Boyfriend While Posing with Gun for Photoshoot

On August 23, 2025, a tragic incident unfolded in Las Vegas, Nevada, when 20-year-old Allysandra Blea fatally shot her boyfriend, 23-year-old Mark Gaughan, during a late-night photoshoot involving firearms. The incident, which occurred in the northwest valley near Nassau Drive, has sparked widespread attention due to its shocking nature and the disturbing details that have since emerged about Blea’s relationship with guns.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the shooting took place just before 5 a.m., when Gaughan was photographing Blea and another woman posing with a firearm. What was intended as a creative photoshoot turned deadly when the gun discharged, striking Gaughan in the neck, leading to his death at the scene. Blea was arrested on August 26 and charged with open murder with deadly weapon, a charge that reflects the severity of the incident. As the case unfolds, it raises critical questions about firearm safety, negligence, and the role of social media in revealing troubling behavior.

The Fatal Photoshoot: What Happened

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of August 23, 2025, in a residential neighborhood near Washington Avenue and North Decatur Boulevard in Las Vegas. According to police reports, Mark Gaughan, a 23-year-old model signed to TNG, a local talent agency, was taking Polaroid photos of his girlfriend, Allysandra Blea, and another woman, identified as Maverick Crafts, as they posed with a firearm near a vehicle. The photoshoot, which began around 4:30 a.m., was impromptu, following a night of drinking among the group, which also included Gavin Fitzpatrick, the boyfriend of Crafts.

The group had gathered at a home around midnight, and the idea for the photoshoot emerged in the early hours of the morning. Police recovered two Polaroid photos at the scene that provided chilling insight into the moments leading up to the tragedy. One photo depicted Blea lying back on Crafts, holding a black firearm pointed at her own mouth with her finger on the trigger, while Crafts held a knife.

Another image showed Blea holding the firearm in her left hand, again with her finger on the trigger. These images suggest a reckless approach to handling the weapon, which proved fatal when the gun discharged, striking Gaughan in the neck. Despite immediate efforts by first responders to save him, Gaughan was pronounced dead at the scene. The Clark County coroner’s office later ruled his death a homicide, confirming that the gunshot wound to his neck and torso was the cause of death.

Please see below for additional details on the arrest of 20-year-old Allysandra Blea in connection to a homicide that occurred August 23, 2025, near Washington and Decatur. pic.twitter.com/RX39f98uR2

— LVMPD (@LVMPD) August 28, 2025

Blea, who made the 911 call, initially described the shooting as accidental, claiming she believed the firearm was unloaded. She told investigators she had never taken a firearm safety course and assumed there was no bullet in the chamber. However, the presence of a loaded weapon and her handling of it with her finger on the trigger indicate a severe lack of firearm safety awareness, which a former prosecutor, John Day, described as “extreme negligence and recklessness.” Day emphasized that basic gun handling practices dictate that one should always assume a gun is loaded, a principle Blea evidently did not follow.

The Investigation: Disturbing Discoveries on Social Media

Following the shooting, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted a thorough investigation, including a review of Blea’s social media accounts, which revealed a troubling fascination with firearms. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Blea’s Meta accounts and uncovered multiple conversations and posts that highlighted her enthusiasm for guns. According to the arrest report, Blea frequently discussed her love of shooting, owning guns, and building an arsenal.

Disturbingly, she made comments expressing a desire to commit violent acts, including a statement that read, “I wish I could shoot people with real guns and get away with it.” In another exchange with Gaughan, when he suggested using a dummy for target practice, Blea responded, “We gotta shoot someone real. Going to be the tunnels. If it’s only one a night the police will remain clueless.” She also referenced shooting prostitutes and homeless individuals in Las Vegas’s underground tunnels, comments that have raised serious concerns about her mindset.

Read : Sarah Carroll Fatally Shot by Ex-Boyfriend in Murder-Suicide

Investigators found numerous photographs of Blea posing with various firearms, including handguns, revolvers, and rifles. These images showed her holding guns against her head, against stuffed animals’ heads, and shooting bottles at an undisclosed location. Police also noted that Blea has a bullseye target tattooed on her chest, further underscoring her fixation on firearms.

The arrest report concluded that Blea appeared to have knowledge and experience with firearms, contradicting her claim that the shooting was a result of ignorance about the weapon’s loaded state. This evidence has led authorities to question whether the shooting was truly accidental, as Blea insists, or if her actions were influenced by her apparent obsession with guns and violent fantasies.

Blea was arrested on August 26, 2025, after discussions between detectives and the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. She was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon. During her initial court appearance on August 27, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Suzan Baucum denied her bail, citing the severity of the charge and the circumstances of the case. Blea appeared in court again on September 2, where she was formally charged with murder and appointed a public defender. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 2, 2025, when more details about the case are expected to emerge.

Broader Implications: Firearm Safety and Social Media’s Role

The tragic death of Mark Gaughan has sparked a broader conversation about firearm safety and the influence of social media in glorifying dangerous behavior. Blea’s reckless handling of a loaded firearm underscores the critical importance of proper gun safety training. Basic firearm safety rules, such as treating every gun as if it is loaded, keeping fingers off the trigger until ready to shoot, and never pointing a gun at anything one does not intend to shoot, could have prevented this tragedy.

Blea’s admission that she had never taken a firearm safety course highlights a gap in education that can have deadly consequences, particularly among young people who may encounter firearms in social or recreational settings. The role of social media in this case is equally troubling. Blea’s posts and conversations about guns, including her violent fantasies, were publicly accessible, yet they went unnoticed or unreported until after the tragedy.

This raises questions about the responsibility of social media platforms to monitor and flag content that glorifies violence or indicates potential harm. While Blea’s comments may have been dismissed as hyperbole or bravado, they now serve as chilling evidence of her mindset leading up to the shooting. The case highlights the need for greater awareness of how online behavior can reflect real-world intentions and the importance of reporting concerning posts to authorities.

Furthermore, the incident sheds light on the dangers of mixing firearms with alcohol and impulsive decision-making. The group had been drinking since midnight, and the photoshoot was a spontaneous idea that emerged in the early morning hours. The presence of alcohol likely impaired judgment, contributing to the reckless handling of the firearm. This serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with combining guns and substances, a combination that can escalate quickly from careless to catastrophic.

The case also touches on broader societal issues, including the glamorization of firearms in certain subcultures and the accessibility of guns to individuals who may not be adequately trained to handle them. Blea’s fascination with firearms, as evidenced by her social media activity and tattoo, suggests a cultural attraction to guns that may have influenced her actions. While the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, incidents like this underscore the need for responsible gun ownership and stricter enforcement of safety protocols.

In conclusion, the tragic shooting of Mark Gaughan by Allysandra Blea during a photoshoot in Las Vegas is a sobering reminder of the dangers of firearms when handled irresponsibly. The incident, which claimed the life of a young man with a promising career as a model, has left a community in shock and raised critical questions about gun safety, social media, and personal responsibility.

As Blea awaits her preliminary hearing, the evidence uncovered by police paints a troubling picture of a young woman with a dangerous fixation on firearms and a disregard for their lethal potential. This case serves as a call to action for increased education on firearm safety, greater scrutiny of concerning online behavior, and a renewed commitment to preventing such tragedies in the future. The loss of Mark Gaughan is a heartbreaking reminder that a single moment of negligence can have irreversible consequences.