Isaiah Joseph-Elijah Luoma, a 12-year-old Caucasian/White male, was caught in a sudden burst of family violence inside an east Las Vegas home on the night of September 7, 2010. Online sources identify his last name as Luoma, not Louma, and report that he was shot that night at 2449 N. Walnut Road, near Carey Avenue and Lamb Boulevard. He was with his maternal grandmother, Sandra Alandt, when police were called to the home around 9 p.m.
after reports of gunfire.
The shooting unfolded as a murder-suicide involving George Gerald “Jerry” Foisel, 55, who was identified by the Clark County coroner’s office as the shooter. Foisel was Sandra Alandt’s brother, making him Isaiah’s great-uncle. Family members said an argument between Foisel and Alandt came before the gunfire, though the exact reason for the argument was not clear. Isaiah’s paternal grandfather, Ron Green, told reporters he believed Isaiah may have been trying to defend his grandmother when he was shot in the head.
Sandra Alandt was pronounced dead at the scene, and Foisel also died there after killing himself. Isaiah was rushed to University Medical Center in extremely critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma. His family was told he had suffered brain damage, and although relatives hoped he might survive, obituary sources later recorded his death as September 18, 2010, at age 12.
Police said there was no obvious motive immediately after the shooting, describing the attack as something that appeared to happen quickly and unexpectedly. Later reporting connected the murder-suicide to turmoil in Foisel’s life, including job loss and the death of a dog. His mother, Mary Foisel, who co-owned the house with him and was in her mid-80s, was inside the home during the shooting but was not injured. Isaiah was described by his grandfather as a seventh-grader at Bailey Middle School who had good grades, was outgoing, athletic, smart, and kind.
No arrest followed because the suspect, George Gerald “Jerry” Foisel, died by suicide at the scene. There were therefore no charges, trial, or conviction. Police did treat the home cautiously because Foisel had reportedly threatened officers in the past and the residence had been flagged as hazardous; authorities said he had previously threatened to booby-trap the home. A multi-agency all-hazard response team swept the house before homicide detectives entered, but no traps were found.
