On Friday, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Cottonwood police released the dashcam video showing the March 21 brawl in the parking lot of Wal-Mart that left one suspect dead, one police officer and another suspect shot and wounded, seven members of one family arrested on 60 criminal charges and the whole Verde Valley wondering what had happened.
The video is a public record and we posted it to our websites and Facebook immediately. Its public dissemination allows citizens to witness first-hand the actions of on-duty, uniformed law enforcement. Dashcam videos and body cameras give citizens the ability to hold public servants accountable for their actions and conduct a vigorous, public, open debate with the evidence in hand.
The back-up officers arrive on scene at time index 0:25 and ask to separate the family members to question them about an assault that occurred inside the store.
In less than 10 seconds, three members of the Gaver family begin to shove and punch police officers, setting off the brawl, tackling two officers to the ground. At no point do the family members try to restrain each other nor walk away from the fight. One suspect who did not fight, believed to be the father Peter Gaver, aka Peter Green, calls the officers “Nazis,” but he does not attempt to restrain his sons nor calm the situation.
One officer can be seen using a non-lethal Taser around 1:10, and after things calm down a little at 1:25, one suspect jumps on an officer on the ground at 1:37. Police draw their batons and begin striking the suspects who are continuing to fight. Around 2:50, a pair of suspects tackle Sgt. Jeremy Daniels and begin struggling for his gun. Police use batons to try to rescue Daniels, and this is presumably when Daniels was shot in the left leg, as what appears to be a gunshot can be heard around 3:10. At 3:14, an officer shoots and presumably kills Enoch Gaver, who was on top of Daniels.
Even with one of their family members dead, the Gavers continue to strike at officers, who have drawn their firearms, but do not shoot. One officer drags the wounded Daniels away from the fight and begins to tourniquet his wounded leg. More officers arrive at 4:05, but the suspects continue to fight, despite the use of Tasers, pepper spray and batons. At 5:23, one of the suspects approaches Daniels and an officer, who both draw their weapons, order him to stand down and yet again refuse to shoot.
Much of the latter fight takes place off camera behind the vehicle while Daniels is treated and evacuated in a police car to the hospital.
From Ferguson, Mo., to North Charleston, S.C., questions about officer shootings, arrest methods and police brutality are in the news nationwide. While this video is admittedly difficult to watch due to the violence, it reveals Cottonwood police were restrained in their actions and used non-lethal means until after one of the officers had been shot and his weapon was not fully in his control. Police continued to use non-lethal means even afterward. Cottonwood officers had the opportunity to shoot more suspects who threatened more violence and in other communities, the body count could have been higher.
Most citizens, even agitated prior to an arrest, would not strike a police officer, nor think they could win a fight. Why the family began fighting and continued to do so will remain one of the key questions for trial. While the justification of the fatal shot requires a thorough and exhaustive investigation, Cottonwood police should be commended for their restraint given the chaos of the brawl and how much worse and bloody it could have become.
