Brawl among fans at middle school game leads to 60-year-old’s death, Vermont cops say

A brawl erupted at a middle school basketball game in Vermont, leading to the death of a 60-year-old man, police said.

The incident occurred in Alburgh, a small town on the U.S.-Canadian border, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, according to a news release from Vermont State Police.

For unknown reasons, a “large fight involving multiple spectators during a 7th-8th grade boys basketball game between Alburgh and St. Albans” broke out in the town community center, police said.

About a dozen fans stormed the court and some exchanged jabs while other spectators and players looked on, video footage obtained by NBC5 shows.

One of spectators involved in the melee, a 60-year old town resident, required medical attention after leaving the game, police said.

An ambulance transported him to a hospital in a nearby town, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of his death, police said, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The inquest is “in its early stages, and a lot will depend on the autopsy,” a spokesperson for the Vermont State Police told McClatchy News.

In a statement addressed to the community, school officials said, “Our immediate goal is to remind and educate our students and families that our school culture is one of family, community, and kindness. We need our students and community to commit to the positive culture that our school community expects and deserves.”

A Vermont resident wrote on Facebook that the man who died was “the kindest man I have ever known, he would go the extra mile and I know he gave his shirt away to many! What does fighting in front of children prove?”

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