Shooting on White Mountain Apache tribal land leaves one man dead and his brother badly hurt

WHITERIVER, Ariz. - A man is dead, and another person was injured after a shooting in an Arizona tribal community.

A manhunt was launched for the suspects, and a curfew was even enforced in the community. Now, both men are behind bars.

The incident happened on Friday, Dec. 9, when Jamie Tenijieth's brother, Matt, drove up to visit from the Phoenix area to help deliver a Christmas tree to their parents home, the same property where her other brother, 36-year-old Eric, lived with his family.

Just after midnight, two suspects, since identified as Joshua Perez and Angelo Coombs, wondered onto the land and opened fire, killing Eric.

The suspects were known to be armed and dangerous, and police say they both have a criminal history, so the Tribal Council of the White Mountain Apache imposed a temporary emergency curfew across the reservation from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

"It slowed down traffic out there, so anyone walking out in public or anything gave us reason to make contact. ‘Hey, how's it going? Are you aware that there is a curfew? Are you OK? Can we help you? Do you need a ride or something?' And it made it easier for us to make casual contact," said Lt. Jonathan Steah.

Coombs was taken into custody on the night on Dec. 12, and Perez was arrested on the morning of Dec. 13.

"Community members are great. Thank you all for your help. We couldn’t have done it without your tips," said Lt. Steah.

Officers say homicides are very rare for this small, tight knit community, but sadly, this is the second death in recent months, After a tribal officer was killed while on duty back in June.

Victims' family speaks out

On Dec. 13, we spoke with the victims' family about the terrifying ordeal.

"It hurts knowing that I am preparing for my brother's funeral right now," said Jamie Tenijieth. "This is something I never wanted to do."

Tenijieth and her family are left heartbroken and still in shock over a seemingly random act of violence by two apparently random suspects.

"Me and my siblings were very close. We are always there for one another, and me being the only sister, I was always there for my brothers, no matter what," said Tenijieth.

The same shooting also sent Matt to the hospital with serious injuries.

"He's not going to make it home for my brother's service, and I think that is just something that really hurts the most, is that he is not going to be able to say goodbye to our brother," said Tenijieth.

The vicrtims' family say they want to thank law enforcement and the community for their support.

"Thank you. Thank you. You're giving us that sense of comfort that knowing they are in custody, and knowing that my brothers are going to get justice for this," said Tenijieth.

For now, the FBI will be looking into this case since it was on tribal land.

Eric (left) died as a result of the shooting, while Matt (right) was left badly hurt as a result.