The morning of December 16, 2016, began with a desperate 911 call that shattered the peace of Coral Cactus Court, a typically quiet neighborhood in Southwest Las Vegas, Nevada. On the line was an emotional Sherlene Ganigan, reporting a violent domestic dispute with her estranged live-in partner of 21 years, Edison Sumera. She feared the situation was escalating dangerously.

What unfolded over the next five hours would confirm her worst fears, transforming the suburban street into the scene of a tense police standoff, involving gunfire, a hostage situation, and the deployment of the elite SWAT team.

When Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers initially responded to Ganigan’s 10:00 a.m. call, they were met not with a verbal confrontation, but with a hail of bullets. Before they could even approach the residence, Sumera opened fire, unleashing approximately six shots in their direction. The officers immediately took cover and called for backup, realizing the situation had escalated far beyond a standard domestic disturbance.

Sumera, described later by relatives as the “black sheep” of the family with a history of trouble and drug use, was heavily armed. He continued to exchange gunfire with the growing police presence. Bodycam footage captured officers returning fire, though under orders from their chief to capture Sumera alive if possible.

Inside the house during the initial confrontation were Sherlene, the couple’s three children, and several other relatives who lived nearby. As Sumera began firing, most managed to flee the home, escaping the immediate danger. However, Sumera himself soon breached a neighboring house.

The neighbor’s home was occupied by the owner, who was upstairs, and a friend who was downstairs watching television. The friend recounted seeing Sumera, agitated and armed with a semi-automatic rifle, banging on the sliding glass door. Thinking quickly, the friend managed to distract Sumera long enough for the homeowner upstairs to escape unnoticed.

Unfortunately, the friend was not so lucky. Sumera forced his way into the house and took the man hostage. For several terrifying hours, the hostage became a pawn in Sumera’s desperate standoff. He described Sumera as extremely agitated and enraged, ordering him to barricade the windows and block the door with a sofa. At one point, Sumera fired shots from the neighbor’s house towards Sherlene’s home for no apparent reason.

As the situation intensified, the SWAT team arrived, establishing a perimeter. Roads leading into Coral Cactus Court were blocked, residents were prevented from returning to their homes, and even school buses were rerouted to ensure student safety. The neighborhood held its breath as police negotiators worked tirelessly to de-escalate the crisis.

From 10:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Metro hostage negotiators maintained communication with Sumera. They allowed him to speak with relatives, during which his motive began to crystallize. He was furious and devastated about his breakup with Sherlene and the prospect of losing custody of their children.

His desperation had apparently driven him to a horrifying plan. He confessed during the negotiations that his original intention that morning was to gather Sherlene and their three children together one last time. Once they were all under one roof, he planned to end their lives one by one, before finally turning the gun on himself.

Finally, after nearly five hours of tense negotiation, Sumera was convinced to surrender peacefully. By 6:30 p.m., the lockdown was lifted, and residents were allowed back into their homes. The sheriff praised his officers for resolving the dangerous hostage situation without any fatalities or injuries.

Sumera was immediately taken into custody and faced a barrage of serious charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping with a deadly weapon, discharging a weapon within a structure, and burglary with possession of a firearm. Upon his arrest, police confiscated three firearms: a Ruger SR-9c 9mm pistol (fired eight times), a Glock 30 .45 caliber pistol, and a Romarm Cugir AK-47 semi-automatic rifle (fired six times).

The roots of the violent confrontation traced back to the couple’s troubled relationship. Though together for 21 years with three children, their partnership, reportedly never formalized by marriage, had dissolved in November 2016. Court documents revealed a history of abuse. Just four days after Thanksgiving 2016, Sherlene had successfully obtained a temporary protection order against Sumera.

The judge ordered Sumera to vacate their shared home and stay away from Sherlene and the children. He complied, leaving on December 8. However, Sherlene confirmed the breakup had actually occurred back in October. Sumera, unable to accept the separation, began harassing her. Three days after moving out, he confronted her in her workplace parking lot, threatening to take her life if he ever saw her with another man. “If I can’t have you, no other man will,” he allegedly told her.

He also reportedly called her employer repeatedly, attempting to sabotage her job. Fearing for her safety, especially knowing Sumera had a concealed carry permit, Sherlene returned to court. The judge, recognizing the danger, extended the protection order and explicitly prohibited Sumera from possessing firearms.

This decision further enraged Sumera. On December 16, he bombarded Sherlene with calls, pleading for reconciliation. When she stood firm, explaining she felt it was better to raise the children alone, Sumera’s anger boiled over. Ignoring the restraining order, he drove to her home, armed.

He initially pleaded to see Sherlene outside the house. Fearing his weapon, she reluctantly spoke with him. When she reiterated that their relationship was over, he became enraged. Their eldest son, fearing his father might shoot his mother, tackled Sumera, momentarily knocking him off balance and allowing Sherlene to escape to a relative’s house next door, where she called 911.

Meanwhile, Sumera took his eldest and six-year-old son upstairs to retrieve the AK-47. The eldest son later told police his father pointed the rifle at him multiple times, an act witnessed by his youngest sibling. Sumera then brought the children downstairs, ordering them to wait quietly while he searched for Sherlene. Seizing the opportunity, the eldest son ushered his siblings out of the house to safety, shortly before Sumera realized they, too, had escaped, prompting him to breach the neighbor’s home.

Edison Sumera eventually pleaded guilty to all charges. Despite his plea, likely made in hopes of a lighter sentence, the judge deemed him a significant danger to the public. He received a sentence equivalent to life imprisonment, with eligibility for parole only after serving two decades. As of the latest reports, he remains incarcerated.