PHOENIX — Dozens of people gathered in Phoenix Thursday night to grieve the loss of a 22-year-old man. Police say Rafael Montoya died from injuries after a large fight broke out outside a nightclub early Sunday morning.
Wearing black, friends and family members of Montoya joined together, lighting candles to keep the flicker of memories alive.
“We go back in high school. He was literally part of our family,” Jessica Reyes, a friend, said.
Mary Camargo, another family friend, told ABC15 in Spanish that the young man was happy, kind, and respectful.
Montoya’s uncle, Eduardo Lopez, led the group in prayer at Thursday’s candlelight vigil. He says his nephew was the father to a 1-year-old daughter.
“That girl has the whole support of our family,” Lopez said. “There's nothing there to replace a father, but she definitely has grandparents, uncles, and family here for her.”
The group came together on Central Avenue outside of a nightclub called DWNTN. That is the spot where the large fight broke out at 2:30 Sunday morning, seen in a video shared with ABC15 by a witness who does not want to be identified.
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Phoenix Police say two off-duty officers were working security when the fight started. They say the officers were trying to diffuse the brawl when someone pointed out that Montoya was lying on the ground. He was breathing, but unconscious with head injuries, then rushed to the hospital with severe head trauma.
“Heartbreaking, unbelievable,” Reyes said.
Police say Montoya died from his injuries four days later, on Wednesday.
“It's just so hard to think right now, he was just a great person,” Reyes said.
ABC15 has reached out to DWNTN nightclub for comment but we have not heard back.
Police interviewed several people involved in the fight and witnesses. No arrests have been made, and it’s not clear what led up to the incident.
Now detectives are asking that anyone with footage of the fight share it with investigators.
It’s something friends also want as they seek answers for their loved one.
“We just need justice for Rafa,” Reyes said.
Dozens standing together, saying they hope their presence shows the magnitude of this loss.
“We just want to make sure whatever happened here, it won't happen again,” Lopez said. “It wasn't fair for him.”
Lopez has started a fundraising campaign for his nephew’s funeral.
