Police released footage on Friday of a huge brawl in an Arizona Wal-Mart parking lot involving members of a Christian family band and several officers. The altercation left one suspect dead and an officer shot in the leg.
The fight involved up to eight members of the Gaver family, a well-known name in Boise, Idaho where at least three Gavers played in a Christian band called Matthew 24 Now.
The incident began on March 21 when a female Wal-Mart employee at the Cottonwood, Ariz. store tried to use a women’s restroom and was shoved away from the door by members of the family, USA Today reported Friday.
Nathan Gaver told police that his mother, Ruth, was using the restroom and that he and his brother Jeremiah were guarding it.
Police were called to the store after a caller reported that multiple suspects assaulted a female employee. When the officers arrived, the Gaver family members attacked them in the parking lot.
Dashcam video of the fight shows the Gaver family punching police while officers use batons and mace to try to subdue them.
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The shooting started when Enoch Gaver, 21, took one officer’s gun and shot him in the leg. Another officer, Rick Hicks, began hitting Enoch with a baton. When the baton had no affect Mr. Hicks shot Enoch to death, Cottonwood Police Chief Jody Fanning said, USA Today reported.
Mr. Hicks was placed on leave after the March 21 shooting but went back to work on Friday following a preliminary investigation.
Five Gavers were arrested and booked into the Yavapai Country Jail on multiple charges, including aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering prosecution and resisting arrest.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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