The man who was set on fire at a bus stop outside a Circle K in Glendale in early July has died, police say.
Blake Angerer, 30, died after a man doused him with gasoline and set him on fire with a blue butane torch on July 3. Jose Miguel Santiago, a Glendale police spokesman, said in an emailed statement that Angerer has died from his injuries.
Luciano Simmons was arrested as a suspect in the case and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on aggravated assault charges. He pleaded not guilty on July 19, according to court documents.
With Angerer’s death, the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office will review the case to determine if additional or different charges are warranted, Jennifer Liewer, a spokeswoman for the office, said in an email.
Court documents obtained by The Arizona Republic state witnesses told police that Simmons was at the bus stop near the Circle K when he went to buy gas. Another witness told police they watched as Simmons lit Angerer on fire.
Surveillance video released by police shows Angerer and another man running toward the store, away from the bus stop. Other footage released by police shows a person running into the store and grabbing gallons of water before Angerer entered the store, half of his body engulfed in flames.
In audio of a 911 call released by police, the store owner can be heard calling for help. The homeowner told the dispatcher they poured water on Angerer and put out the flames.
A bottle of water that had a strong odor of gasoline was recovered at the scene, according to the documents.
After being arrested, Simmons admitted to police that he was at the Circle K and bought $1 in gas. He said no more on the subject.
Fundraiser for Angerer
Angerer’s family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help fund medical expenses while facing the “toughest battle of his life,” the fundraiser’s description reads. They had raised more than $9,000 of the $100,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.
The GoFundMe description says he was a charismatic man who made an impact on those who knew him.
“His smile was contagious and his laugh was contagious. He had a heart that made it impossible to ignore and giving his last was a habit for those who needed anything,” the description states.
According to the GoFundMe page, Angerer leaves the children behind.
Contact current affairs journalist Angela Córdoba Pérez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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