Nevada police say they foiled possible Las Vegas mass shooting plot
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Police say they have foiled a potentially devastating mass-casualty attack after arresting a transgender Nevada suspect accused of plotting a shooting rampage on the Las Vegas Strip and uncovering an arsenal that included machine guns, grenade launchers and more than 50 firearms.
Allison Howlett, 36, who police described as transgender in the arrest report, was arrested June 27 after Henderson police fielded a frantic 911 call from the suspect’s wife regarding a domestic dispute, a stolen vehicle loaded with firearms, and threats of both “suicide by cop” and a mass shooting.
Using vehicle tracking technology, Henderson police tracked the stolen SUV to the parking lot at the Sunset Station casino; where he was pinned into the vehicle after officers found Howlett inside playing loud music and refusing repeated commands to surrender.
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Henderson police located the suspect’s vehicle in the Sunset Station parking lot before making the arrest. (KVVU)
Officers eventually persuaded Howlett to roll down the window by offering the suspect water before removing him from the vehicle and deploying his stun gun during the struggle, authorities said.
“It is worth noting that the suspect was armed with a handgun and had access to a fully automatic, silenced MP5-style machine gun in the back seat of the vehicle, which corroborates police-reported suicide threats and the ability to conduct a mass shooting,” Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said at a news conference Tuesday. he said.
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Authorities said detectives found 22 firearms in the stolen vehicle, including handguns, rifles, a fully automatic firearm, suppressors, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Investigators said a subsequent search warrant executed at Howlett’s home in Henderson uncovered 30 additional firearms, including automatic weapons, an M2 .50-caliber machine gun, two Colt AR-style rifles equipped with M203 grenade launchers, seven suppressors and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
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Authorities displayed dozens of firearms seized during the investigation. (LVMPD)
As the investigation progressed, Henderson police contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Center, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office.
Sheriff’s Deputy Dori Koren said investigators uncovered evidence alleging Howlett made threats over an extended period of time.
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Officers secured the scene after locating the suspect at the Sunset Station casino. (KVVU)
“Some of this information included threats to become an active shooter or to carry out a mass shooting in Las Vegas,” Koren said.
Police also played audio at Tuesday’s press conference that investigators said was recorded in 2024 and captured Howlett allegedly threatening a future mass shooting.
“If the FBI doesn’t come… if they don’t arrest me, there will be a… massacre…. One day… hundreds of people [are] “The person in the recording will lose their life,” he says.
“Obviously for our community here in Las Vegas, after dealing with October First, these types of threats are taken very seriously,” Koren said, referring to the 2017 Route 91 Harvest festival that authorities have called the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Investigators said the alleged threats, combined with the weapons cache, led to the immediate expansion of the investigation into a counterterrorism case.
Howlett now faces 35 felonies, including making threats to commit a terrorist act, assault with a deadly weapon involving domestic violence, grand theft vehicle, 22 counts of grand theft of a firearm, multiple weapons offenses involving machine guns, suppressors and short-barreled rifles, and resisting a public officer while armed with a firearm.
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Following the arrest, a judge set Allison Howlett’s bail at $500,000. (Clark County Justice Court)
A Clark County judge later set Howlett’s bail at $500,000.
The investigation began after Julie Howlett called 911 to report that her husband had taken her vehicle and was threatening a mass shooting.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Julie Howlett he later told FOX5 Las Vegas It was stated that the 22 firearms found in the stolen vehicle belonged to him and that they were in his inventory as a gun dealer who was preparing to take them out of the state.
According to Julie Howlett, the conflict began after she discovered Allison had used her credit card without permission.
“I woke up that morning to find Allison had charged money to my credit card,” Julie told FOX5. “He came with a gun”
Julie said she struggled to get the firearm from Allison after he allegedly pulled the trigger.
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“He was going to kill me,” Julie said. “He ran away. I ran outside. I still had the gun in my hand. I unloaded it.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, authorities confirmed that investigators believe the firearms found in the vehicle belonged to the wife. Detectives continue to argue how the guns were obtained, whether they were obtained legally and what role they played in the case, authorities said.
Police also alleged Howlett had been making similar threats since January 2024; This included warning in a recorded statement that if the FBI did not arrest the suspect, “there will be a mass shooting one day.”
Deputy Sheriff Andrew Walsh said investigators were still working to determine the motive for the incident, but cautioned that the case shows how quickly violent threats can escalate.
“It’s time to move from thought to action; that window has closed,” Walsh said, explaining that today’s suspected attackers can go from making threats to carrying out threats in a matter of days or even hours.
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KSNV reported In a recorded interview with detectives after the arrest, Howlett denied planning a mass shooting or threatening anyone.
Howlett said he and Julie Howlett had been married for four years and had both transitioned to being female while taking estrogen and progesterone, according to the publication. Howlett also told investigators that he took Julie’s vehicle just to leave after an argument, acknowledged that he knew the firearms were inside because Julie planned to transport them out of state, and claimed that users on the online communication platform Discord falsely accused him of making threats.
KSNV also reported that Howlett said all of his personally owned firearms had previously been legally transferred to Julie through an ATF-approved process.
Walsh urged anyone who hears credible threats of violence, especially in domestic situations, to report them immediately, saying early intervention gives law enforcement the best chance of preventing tragedy.
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As Southern Nevada prepares for Fourth of July celebrations, authorities said law enforcement was on high alert and credited a coordinated response between Henderson police, Metro, the FBI and other regional partners with stopping what investigators believe could have been a mass-casualty attack.
Fox News Digital has contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office for additional comment. Both agencies said they had nothing more to add beyond officials’ statements at Tuesday’s press conference.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
