An Arizona teenager died on August 13 from injuries sustained during a violent attack that followed a neighborhood football match in Phoenix. Tumusifu Bazirake, 19, was beaten by a group of strangers at Sueno Park on August 6, after he stepped in to protect his younger brother from the opposing players.
Attack After Soccer Match
According to the Phoenix Police Department, Bazirake was playing soccer against a group of strangers at Sueno Park at around 8 p.m. on August 6. The game descended into a brawl when the opposing players became angry over losing the match.
Jeanpaul, Bazirake's brother who was playing alongside him, told WKYC that the opposing players launched an attack after the game. "Then (they were) beating us, pushing us, cause we scored on them, and they got mad and all that," Jeanpaul said.
Jeanpaul recalled that his brother tried to shield him as they were both overwhelmed by the opposing players during the fight, which lasted around 20 minutes. "After (an opposing player) threw a punch, I blocked it. Then they just jumped on me, all of them. Then that's when my brother jumped in, too," he said.
Brother Witnesses Brutal Beating
Jeanpaul described the horror of seeing his brother defenseless and being mercilessly beaten during the attack. "I tried to turn around, then he was on the ground, and they were just stepping on him while he's on the ground. Stepping, kicking, punching — all that," he told the outlet.
The attackers fled the park — located about 10 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — when they noticed Bazirake was unresponsive, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Fire officials found Bazirake unconscious and rushed him to a local hospital in "extremely critical condition," the department said.
Death and Investigation
Bazirake died from his injuries on August 13, prompting authorities to open a homicide investigation. His remains were turned over to the Office of the Medical Examiner, with cause of death pending an autopsy, police said.
No arrests have been made, and no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified by police.
Family Remembers a Future Firefighter
Bazirake's family told WKYC he was supposed to start his first semester at community college on August 24, with dreams of becoming a firefighter after graduation. His mother, speaking to the outlet through a translator, said her son adored school, valued his education and wanted to become a firefighter to "help people."
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not yet released further details about potential suspects.
