UPDATE: Arizona police officer shot in melee with Boise family at Wal-Mart expected to be OK
A police officer who was shot in the leg Saturday during a melee with a large Boise family at a Wal-Mart in Arizona is expected to make a full recovery, officials said Tuesday morning.
The 31-year-old officer was identified as Sgt. Jeremy Daniels. Daniels has been with the Cottonwood Police Department about 10 years. Cottonwood is a small town about 100 miles north of Phoenix.
One member of the Boise family was killed, another was hospitalized and six more were arrested following the late-night Saturday incident.
The family had reportedly been staying outside the Cottonwood store for several days and were living in a Chevrolet Suburban SUV with Idaho license plates, Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves told the Associated Press.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
The incident began when a female employee who was going to the bathroom was shoved out of the way by one of the suspects, and then responding police officers were attacked in the parking lot, investigators say.
Graves said investigators preliminarily believed three shots were fired and that there was a struggle for an officer's gun. But he said he didn't know whether any other guns were recovered.
The scene "looked like a riot in the middle of the parking lot," Louie Solano told KPHO-TV, Phoenix.
"Lots of screams," Solano said. "Just screeching noise, like unreal."
THREE SHOT, SIX ARRESTED
Enoch Gaver of Boise was shot and killed and two others had gunshot wounds, including one of the police officers and another Boisean, David Gaver, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office told Larson Newspapers, which operates papers in Cottonwood and nearby Sedona.
David Gaver, 28, who was shot in the abdomen, was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment.
On Tuesday morning, a hospital spokeswoman said Gaver was discharged Monday. Graves said he was taken into custody on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and hindering prosecution.
The Yavapai Medical Examiner's Office did not know Enoch Gaver's age. A spokesman said medical examiner staff has had trouble getting information about him.
A Wal-Mart employee and seven police officers suffered minor injuries such as a twisted ankle and facial lacerations during the altercation, according to investigators.
These members of the Gaver family were arrested: Peter Gaver, 55; Ruth Gaver, 52; Jeremiah C. Gaver, 29; Nathan Gaver, 27; and one of two juveniles. The two children are being held in the Prescott Juvenile Detention Center.
The five adults are being held in the Yavapai County jail and are scheduled to be in court Tuesday. The charges for Ruth, Jeremiah and Nathan Gaver include assault on a law enforcement officer. Peter Gaver is charged with hindering prosecution and resisting arrest. Jeremiah and Nathan are each held on $75,000 bond, Ruth on $50,000 bond and Peter on $25,000 bond.
A search of state court records found no Idaho criminal charges against any of the Gaver family charged in the Arizona brawl, but several infractions were listed. Peter Gaver was cited by Boise police and fined in September 2014 for soliciting employment, business or contributions. Also, Peter and Jeremiah Gaver were both cited and fined for noise violations in 2011.
A BOISE STREET BAND
Statesman media partner KIVI Channel 6 reports that some of the Gaver family members perform on the sidewalks near the Albertsons store on 17th and State Streets in Boise as a band known as Matthew 24 Now.
A Facebook page for Matthew 24 Now lists Peter as the father, writer and lead guitarist, with his sons Jeremiah and Nathan playing bass guitar and drums, respectively. Peter listed himself as Peter Green (Gaver).
“We are also known as Busking in The Son, as we have been busking on the streets of Boise Idaho for the last 3 years,” according to the Facebook page, which launched in June 2013. The page says the band is available for two- or three-hour acoustic gigs, but “We won't do any events where there's gonna be illegal drugs. Or any form of promiscuity.”
The Larson Newspapers report states that it’s not clear why the Gavers were in the Cottonwood area. Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home told a reporter that Peter Gaver has an aunt in Lake Havasu and that his father lived in Arizona until he died in 2005.
Earlier Monday, Graves had said authorities were having trouble identifying the family because they weren’t cooperating with investigators.
Peter and Ruth Gaver of Boise are featured in a 2004 Business Wire story out of California about the PMI Foundation pairing with Boise Habitat for Humanity teaming to help the parents with nine children own their first home. Peter Gaver’s current White Pages listing cites the same Northwest Boise address.
This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 4:44 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Arizona police officer shot in melee with Boise family at Wal-Mart expected to be OK."