Model Shot Dead During Gun-Themed Polaroid Photo Shoot
A 23-year-old Las Vegas man has been shot dead during a photo shoot as he was taking pictures on a Polaroid camera of two women toting guns.
While taking photos of his girlfriend Allysandra Blea and another woman, Mark Santiago Gaughan was shot dead by a firearm that discharged during the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police received a 911 call at 5 AM on August 23 and when officers arrived on the scene in the Northwest Valley, they found two Polaroid photos showing Blea with a firearm and the other girl holding a knife.
According to Fox 5, when interviewed by police Blea told officers that the shooting was accidental. She also said that she had never taken any gun safety courses and believed the weapon did not have any bullets in the chamber.
The 911 caller said he was sleeping and woke up to screaming. He said he had removed the bullets from his firearm earlier by removing the magazine, emptying the chamber, and locking the slide back.
The caller’s girlfriend told police that she left to change clothes, and when she came back, she saw that the magazine had been reinserted into the firearm. According to the report, she said they had used both the gun and a knife as “props.”
‘I Wish I Could Shoot People’
A search warrant was issued for Blea’s Meta social media accounts and police found she had exchanged messages with Gaughan about shooting people.
“I wish I could shoot people with real guns and get away with it,” Blea wrote in a message to Gaughan before discussing attacking homeless people and prostitutes.
“We gotta shoot someone real. Going to be the tunnels. If it’s only one a night the police will remain clueless,” Blea said. Gaughan told her to shoot a dummy, according to the police report.
Three days after the shooting on Tuesday (August 26), Blea was arrested and is facing charges of open murder with a deadly weapon. She is due to appear in court on September 2 for an initial appearance.
Although he was behind the camera when he died, Gaughan was signed to a modeling agency. Noelle Haddad-McCann, CEO of TNG agency, paid tribute to the 23-year-old, praising his “passion” and “eagerness.”
“We helped Mark grow as a model,” she writes. “His tall, edgy, and captivating look was matched by a bold attitude, but beneath it was a big heart. Mark was truly special, and he will be deeply missed.”
