Brawl at Arizona Wal-Mart Leaves One of Nine Suspects Dead, Officer Shot

One officer was shot, seven others were injured and a suspect was killed during a brawl in the parking lot of an Arizona Wal-Mart, investigators said Sunday.



Eight Cottonwood Police Department officers responded to a call at 11:52 p.m. Saturday (2:52 a.m. Sunday) that a Wal-Mart employee had been assaulted at the Cottonwood store, which is about 40 miles from Prescott, according to a statement from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). When officers arrived, the suspects attacked a second Wal-Mart employee and the officers, leaving one with a gunshot wound, according to the statement. Seven other officers sustained minor injuries, the statement said.



One of the suspects was shot and killed during the confrontation, and another was shot in the stomach, according to DPS. Seven other suspects were taken into custody, DPS said. The suspects have not been identified, but DPS spokesman Bart Graves told NBC News that investigators believe they are all from the same family.



The officer who was shot — a 31-year-old 10-year-veteran — was flown to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive, according to DPS. Wal-Mart declined to comment citing the investigation.

2015-03-23