Overview
- Several people attacked 19-year-old Tumusifu Bazirake during a soccer game at Sueno Park on Aug. 6, and first responders found him unresponsive in a field near 43rd Avenue and nearby cross streets.
- Bazirake was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition and died from his injuries on Aug. 13, a development that prompted investigators to treat the case as a homicide.
- No suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made, and Phoenix police are asking anyone with information to call detectives or submit anonymous tips to Silent Witness.
- Park managers and players blocked goals and moved games across the parking lot after the attack, and Bazirake’s family launched a GoFundMe to cover medical and funeral costs.
- Sueno Park is a busy Maryvale field where crowded sidelines can lead to heated altercations, and the homicide classification means detectives will use the autopsy and public tips to guide their next steps.