LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – According to a report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, a woman charged with the murder of a carpet cleaner was found with a handgun matching the type and caliber of a cartridge casing found at the scene.
Police received calls reporting that a male had been shot in the neck in the parking lot of a Las Vegas apartment complex on March 26. Officers responded to the scene and found a man lying in the parking lot outside his work van, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
Witnesses told police that the suspect was a white female adult with a thin build, about six feet tall, wearing all-black clothing and a sleeping bag across her shoulders. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was described as having numerous tattoos on her face and neck.
Investigators found a single .45 caliber cartridge case bearing a “Blazer 45 auto” headstamp under the victim’s vehicle. The man was taken to University Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
While searching the surrounding neighborhood, police located a woman matching the suspect’s description about ten minutes later. She briefly began to run before stopping, identifying herself as Kayla Alery, and admitting that she was in possession of a weapon.
During a patdown search of the suspect, police found a Hi-Point JHP .45 caliber handgun. Crime scene analysts later inspected the weapon and determined that it contained seven .45 caliber cartridges, all of which bore a “Blazer 45 auto” headstamp.
Police also found another matching cartridge and a bag reportedly containing methamphetamine in the suspect’s pants pocket. Homicide detectives were called to the scene and briefed on the details of the investigation.
One witness told police that the suspect, later identified as Alery, was attempting to open vehicle doors at the apartment complex. That witness had three camera views from his vehicle and he captured her on video. The witness did not see the shooting but told police he heard a single gunshot and saw Alery running away from the area.
The witness later reviewed his camera footage and it reportedly showed Alery approaching the victim’s van, producing a firearm, and firing one shot through the window. The witness provided the video to police as evidence.
The witness added that he had never seen Alery in the apartment complex before.
A different witness corroborated the story and identified Alery as the person he saw shoot the victim. He initially reported the suspect, who he did not recognize, as a “suspicious person” to maintenance workers at the property.
That witness got in his truck, parked by the leasing office, and approached Alery to ask what she was doing. He said that the leasing manager and two maintenance workers were following her in carts and instructed her to leave the property.
The witness told police he knew that the victim cleaned carpets at the apartment, and that he saw the man sitting in his van before the suspect ran past it and shot once into the window. The witness spotted two LVMPD officers across the street conducting a traffic stop and he said he drove there to inform them about the shooting.
Police also interviewed both maintenance workers and the leasing manager, who explained that they did confront Alery after receiving a report about her. They said that they all attempted to escort the suspect off the property before the shooting.
All three of them said that they did not know Alery, but they each identified her as the suspect. She is due back in Clark County Justice Court for a status check on Thursday.
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