Phoenix Police detectives are asking for photos, video and social media leads from the early hours of Oct. 31 near 15th Avenue and Fillmore Street, where gunfire at a Halloween house party killed Jose Juan Vargas Hernandez, 18.
A party that size means dozens of phones were out that night. A clip that looks like nothing to you may be the piece detectives need.
Illustration: a central Phoenix street before dawn.
What police say happened
Officers were called about shots fired around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they saw multiple people running and driving away from a large house party and found bullet strikes on the home.
Around the same time, a man arrived at a nearby hospital with a life-threatening gunshot wound. Police later identified him as Vargas Hernandez and said he had been shot multiple times. He died at the hospital. Officers later learned of a second man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound connected to the same shooting.
Detectives say a fight led to the shooting. Several people were detained, but no one has been arrested. Police have not said whether everyone detained has been released.
How to help
Upload photos or video through Phoenix Police's evidence portal for this case: bit.ly/4ySnDhh, or scan the QR code on the department's post.
Call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377), or 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446) in Spanish. You do not have to give your name.
Social media accounts count too. Stories, livestreams and posts that show the party, the fight or the people leaving can help.
Halloween parties get filmed from every angle and posted within minutes. Those posts get deleted within days. If you have something, send it now.
The case, by the numbers
3:30 a.m.
Time of the first shots-fired calls, Oct. 31
2
Men shot, one fatally
0
Arrests announced as of Nov. 3
Source: Phoenix Police Department statements as reported by AZFamily, FOX 10, 12News and KTAR, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2026.
Phoenix has a party law
Phoenix City Code 2-22 lets the city bill whoever is responsible for a party of five or more people for the cost of a police response when officers find it threatens public safety, up to $1,000 for a first incident in a year. The cost is waived if the host calls police and helps break the party up. Police have not said whether this address had drawn party calls before Oct. 31.
Phoenix solves most of its homicides. In 2024, close to three in four of the city's 139 killings were cleared, according to state crime data. House party shootings, with dozens of witnesses scattering in every direction, are the hard ones. That is why the video matters.
The Arizona Inquirer thanks the Phoenix Police detectives working this case for their service to our community.
How we reported this: this story is built on Phoenix Police Department's public request for help and its statements to AZFamily, FOX 10, 12News and KTAR from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2026, plus Phoenix City Code 2-22 and state crime data reported by the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Police have not announced arrests, and details may change as the investigation continues. We are looking for how many people were detained, the second victim's condition and whether the address had earlier party calls; we are putting those questions to Phoenix Police and will add any answer with a dated update. Anyone with photos, video or information should take it to Phoenix Police or Silent Witness directly. Corrections: [email protected].