Miracle Valley shootout
Confrontation between church members and law enforcement (1982)
The Miracle Valley shootout was a confrontation between members of the Christ Miracle Healing Center and Church (CMHCC) and Cochise County law enforcement that occurred in Miracle Valley, Arizona, United States, on October 23, 1982. A variety of incidents with law enforcement in 1982 culminated when a large group of church members confronted local sheriff's deputies and state law enforcement officers attempting to serve bench warrants for the arrest of three members of the church. In the ensuing melee, two church members were killed and seven people were injured. One church member and one law enforcement officer died later, both deaths possibly due to injuries sustained that day.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Miracle Valley shootout” as confrontation between church members and law enforcement (1982). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as confrontation between church members and law enforcement (1982). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 4, 2026. The first chronological checks are 1982.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Miracle Valley shootout”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Miracle Valley shootout primary sources, Miracle Valley shootout archive and Miracle research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Miracle Valley shootout”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Miracle Valley shootout” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.