Suspect arrested in fatal shooting outside eatery
A friend remembered a 21-year-old man shot and killed over the weekend outside a restaurant as an athletic jokester who loved making others laugh.
"For those who knew Brandon, I cannot fathom or understand why somebody would commit something so stupid," Ashley Carrillo said of her friend, Brandon Gahagan.
Gahagan, a part-time model who worked at the Palms pool, died outside the Olive Mediterranean Grill and Hookah Bar, 3850 E. Sunset Road, near Sandhill Road.
Another man was shot and one man was beaten in the incident, which was reported early Sunday.
Las Vegas police arrested a 23-year-old suspect in the shooting Monday. According to Clark County Detention Center records, Carlos E. Orellana is being held without bail on charges of murder with a deadly weapon and attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
Gahagan played football, wrestled and ran track at Mojave High School in North Las Vegas before graduating in 2005. He played football and ran track at Pasadena City College in Southern California before returning because he was homesick, Carrillo said.
He talked about attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and playing football there, she said.
"He had such a bright future ahead of him," Carrillo said.
Mojave football coach Tyrone Armstrong remembers his former defensive back as "super great," and someone who worked extremely hard to achieve his goals.
"From what I knew about Brandon, he liked to stay on the right side of things," said a shocked Armstrong. "Another up-and-coming young man is gone for no reason."
Gahagan's work as a model included being featured in print ads for Urban Fuel, an anti-smoking program under the Southern Nevada Health District with the slogan, "Smokefree and Sexy."
Carrillo said Gahagan broke an arm and got stitches after getting into a fight at a party a couple of weeks ago. She didn't know if the shooting was related.
"It's stupid," she said. "People can't fight anymore. They have to use weapons. It's just senseless."
Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.
