Police investigating deadly South Phoenix fight as murder
PHOENIX - Phoenix Police announced on Aug. 10 that a fight in South Phoenix on July 28 is now being investigated as a murder.
The backstory:
Per our initial report, officers were sent at around 4:00 a.m. to a home in the area of 44th Street and Baseline Road for an incident that was later determined to be a fight.
"When officers arrived, they detained an adult male in handcuffs who was being restrained by a man and woman prior to police arrival. The man was later identified as 36-year-old Bill Blancas," read a portion of the statement.
Phoenix Police say officers found Blancas unresponsive.
"At this time, they removed the handcuffs and asked for the fire department to respond. Phoenix Fire arrived and transported him to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased," investigators wrote.
New Details:
In their Aug. 10 statement, Phoenix Police detectives say they learned that Blancas "became unresponsive during a fight with family members."
"When officers arrived, they received information from the family that led them to place the victim in handcuffs," investigators wrote.
Previously, Phoenix Police said a critical incident briefing video would be made available, but police now say such a video will not be released, as the incident does not meet the criteria for such a video.
What's next:
"An administrative investigation into this incident will be conducted by the Department’s Professional Standards Bureau," officials wrote.
Area where the incident happened
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by Phoenix Police on Aug. 10, 2026, with supplemental information gathered from a July 28, 2026 report on the incident.