Woman killed by police Saturday identified; officers involved named

A woman who was shot and killed by police Saturday had both hands on a gun when she exited her car during a standoff, Las Vegas police said.

The information was released Monday afternoon at a police news conference and contradicted an earlier witness statement that Sharmel T. Edwards, 49, had her hands above her head when she exited a stolen vehicle early Saturday morning.

Edwards was shot and killed after she pointed the gun at officers, police said.

Deputy Chief Kathy O'Connor said the vehicle's owner called police about 1:40 a.m. and said that a "female friend" had taken his 2001 Cadillac without his permission and that there was a .45-caliber handgun in the console. O'Connor did not know the relationship between Edwards and the man.

O'Connor said a patrol officer located the stolen car later that morning and followed it to an alley near Jones Boulevard and Smoke Ranch Road. The officer called for backup and did not immediately stop the car because department protocol requires two officers to stop a stolen vehicle, she said.

Officers trained in crisis intervention talked to the woman by using a loudspeaker for about 30 minutes, O'Connor said. Edwards never responded.

SWAT was called to the scene but did not arrive before Edwards stepped out of the car.

A witness told the Review-Journal that Edwards had her hands above her head, but O'Connor said the evidence indicates both of Edwards' hands were on the gun.

Five officers fired upon Edwards after she reportedly pointed the gun at police: Melvyn F. English, 43, Todd G. Edwards, 31, Truong T. Thai, 38, Matthew J. Cook, 43, and Christopher M. Grivas, 31.

Two supervisors were at the scene but did not fire. It was unclear how many times Edwards was struck, but she was hit "multiple times," police said. She died at the scene.

She did not have a criminal record aside from "minor offenses," O'Connor said.

When asked about a television news reports that witnesses saw officers high-fiving after the shooting, O'Connor said she was not aware of the allegations. There was no known video of the shooting.

Little information was released about Edwards by police, and family members did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

The man who reportedly called police to report the stolen vehicle did not return calls seeking comment.

It was not the first shooting for two of the officers involved in Saturday's incident.

Grivas' last shooting was less than a year ago in July when he and officer David Hager shot and killed 23-year-old Rafael "Ralfy" Olivas, who was walking toward them with a knife.

Olivas' family protested the shooting and sued the department and the officers. The lawsuit is pending. In 2006, Cook shot and wounded Jeffrey Gray, a 26-year-old man who was in a vacant house.

Cook said Gray lunged at him in an aggressive manner with what appeared to be a weapon, but Gray, who had the mental capacity of a 15-year-old boy, was holding only a cellphone.

Although he was shot in the chest, Gray survived the shooting. He denied making a threatening gesture toward the officer.

This was the fifth officer-involved shooting in 2012 and the second fatality.

Jason Baires, 23, was shot and killed in February after he shot and wounded police officers attempting to arrest him.

Baires had been suspected of killing his mother's boyfriend and was fleeing from detectives.

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.