A police officer was shot in the leg, two suspects were shot and one suspect was killed in brawl between at least eight suspects, eight police officers and store employee in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Cottonwood on Saturday, March 21.
At approximately 11:52 p.m., Cottonwood Police Department received a call from the Cottonwood Wal-Mart reporting that a female Wal-Mart employee had been assaulted in the store by multiple suspects.
When officers arrived the suspects were in the parking lot and immediately attacked the responding officers, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. During the altercation, one of the Cottonwood officers was shot in his leg. It is unclear who fired the round.
One of the suspects, who has been identified by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office as Enoch Gaver, was shot and killed. Police have not released his age.
A second suspect, David Gaver, 28, was shot in the abdomen. Seven other suspects from the Gaver family were eventually taken into custody.
A total of eight officers and another Wal-Mart employee were assaulted in the parking lot during the fight. Seven of those officers sustained minor injuries to include lacerations and bruising.
The officer injured by the gunshot, Sgt. Jeremy Daniels, was flown to Flagstaff Medical Center where he underwent surgery for his injuries. The 31-year-old officer has been with CPD for about 10 years and should make a full recovery, according to DPS.
For the full story, see the Wednesday, March. 25, edition of The Camp Verde Journal or the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
