1 dead in wild brawl between Christian music group and police outside Arizona Walmart

1 dead in wild brawl between Christian music group and police outside Arizona Walmart

Police responded to a report of a Walmart employee who had been assaulted in the bathroom, and when they arrived, they found the Gaver family assaulting another employee, police said.

One person is dead after a large family attacked police officers outside an Arizona Walmart, a wild fight that was caught on tape, authorities say.

The violent confrontation began when the Gaver family, which travels around performing Christian music as a family, began fighting with officers who were responding to a complaint of an assault in the bathroom of a Walmart in Cottonwood, Ariz., according to an Associated Press report and an Arizona Republic report.

Eight officers from the Cottonwood Police Department had responded to a call on March 21 of a female Walmart employee who had been attacked when trying to enter a restroom in the store, and when officers arrived, the suspects were in a parking lot attacking yet another store employee, according to the reports.

Officers tried to break up the fight and ended up being caught in the brawl themselves, Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Gravers said.

The fight got so out of hand that 21-year-old Enoch Gaver grabbed the gun of Sgt. Jeremy Daniels and shot the officer, prompting another officer to pull out his gun and fire on Enoch Gaver, who died in the shooting.

The Gaver family was known in Boise for being members of a Christian acoustic band known as Matthew 24 Now, which would play outside a local supermarket in exchange for tips. Their Facebook page warns against illegal drugs or “any form of promiscuity.”

Daniels crawled off after being shot in the leg, crawling to the side to receive aid from another officer. The brawl kept going for another three minutes as one suspect refused to get off the ground.

Authorities arrested Peter Gaver, 55; Ruther Gaver, 52; Nathan Gaver, 27; and Jeramiah Gaver, 29. They face a variety of charges including resisting arrest, aggravated assault, and hinder prosecution. Police also arrested two juveniles who were not named.

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