Henderson woman denies mass shooting threats, claims 'setup' after arrest with 22 firearms

HENDERSON (KTNV) — The woman arrested as part of a Las Vegas counterterrorism investigation denies the allegations and told investigators she was being doxxed, according to documents obtained by Channel 13 on Wednesday.

Allison Howlett, 36, was arrested on Saturday in the parking garage of Sunset Station casino in Henderson. Police say Howlett was sitting on a pistol and had a machine gun in the back seat. Another 20 firearms were recovered from the trunk of the Subaru WRX that police say belonged to Howlett's wife.

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Person arrested at Sunset Station in terror threat investigation, police say

Troy Gingerich

Howlett's wife is the one who alerted police to the situation on Saturday, telling them Howlett had taken her car, with the firearms inside. She was concerned, she told officers, because of previous threats Howlett had made to commit a mass shooting.

In an interview with investigators, Howlett's wife gave more insight into Howlett's state of mind before her arrest.

According to an affidavit of probable cause for Howlett's arrest, Howlett's wife told police that "every time they have a fight Allison will put on body armor grab a gun and walk around the house threatening the commit a mass shooting."

In January 2024, Howlett's wife recorded a 38-minute conversation confronting Howlett. It is partially detailed in the report as follows:

HOWLETT'S WIFE: Really, you're going to shoot the cops?
HOWLETT: It's called suicide by cop...Do you want me to go away?
WIFE: So, you're going to shoot it out with the police?
HOWLETT: No, I'm not; they're going to shoot me dead...Do you want me to leave, or not? I'll go get a hotel and as soon as my money runs out, they will kick me out and the cops will shoot me dead.

According to investigators, Howlett can be heard on the recording saying:

The report alleges Howlett made similar threats "when she would get angry" for about a year. Howlett's wife told investigators she called police in 2024, "but they did not look at the video."

Howlett's wife said Howlett's behavior "appeared to normalized [sic] for a period of time," but Howlett "began to act erratic again and pulled a firearm and put it to her head" on June 21. The report states Howlett also pointed the gun at her wife, "putting [her] in fear for her life." Howlett's wife called the police, and Howlett was put on an involuntary psychiatric hold, the report states.

The morning Howlett was arrested, her wife claimed the couple got into an argument and Howlett put a pistol to her own head, which her wife "forcibly removed" from her hand. Howlett left and took her wife's car without her permission, the report states.

Howlett's wife told police she believed Howlett knew the car was loaded with firearms and she called the police because she believed Howlett "was going to commit a mass shooting with the firearms."

Detectives also interviewed Howlett after her arrest.

Howlett claimed she took her wife's car because they had argued, Howlett's wife locked herself in her room, and Howlett thought she heard her "rack" a firearm.

According to the report, Howlett "denied making any threats and stated she just took the vehicle to get away from the situation."

She also denied wanting to hurt anyone or making any previous threats, telling police "she was being doxed and people on Discord were trying to get her in trouble by making up threats that she was going to commit a mass shooting."

"Allison stated that everyone is out to get her and are setting her up," the report states.

Howlett is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. A criminal complaint outlines 35 charges against her, including multiple counts of grand larceny of a firearm, grand larceny of a vehicle, multiple counts of possession of a machine gun or silencer, and multiple counts of possession of a shot-barreled rifle or shotgun.