LAS VEGAS, NV – A 36-year-old woman named Gina Martin was shot dead behind a rental car service in Las Vegas just days before her 37th birthday celebration, police stated. Martin’s ex-fiancé is alleged to have shot her.
The shooting incident, described by authorities as a targeted act, happened when a man and Martin were getting their rental car from the Avis service on Sahara and Decatur. Martin, a resident of Las Vegas who had recently moved to Colorado, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Ivan Williams, a friend of Martin’s, she had returned to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday. Recalling Martin as a person everyone loved, Williams also noted that this year, Martin, who didn’t often celebrate herself, wanted to enjoy her special day with friends and family.
On Monday, the police named the suspect as 37-year-old Frederick Lee Blanche Jr., who was arrested in Buckeye, Arizona, on Sunday. According to the authorities, he had been tracked through surveillance footage from a mobile police unit positioned in the Avis parking lot and stationary security cameras from nearby shops, documenting his arrival, shooting, and escape.
Expressing his belief that the incident was an episode of domestic violence, Williams recalled Blanche’s past history of harassment towards Martin. Upon confirmation of the shooter’s identity, he revealed the last message he had sent Martin was a warning about Fred.
Blanche, now awaiting extradition to Las Vegas in an Arizona detention center, faces multiple felony charges, including open murder.
Struggling to cope with their grief, Martin’s friends and family learned she was considering a move back to Clark County to be closer to her family and 18-year-old high-school graduate son. Martin, who loved life and everyone around her, worked in the hospitality industry.