A 60-year-old man died after a brawl broke out at a middle school basketball game in Vermont, state police said.
The fight unfolded shortly before 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Alburgh Community Education Center, not far from the Canadian border, Vermont State Police said in a press release on Wednesday. It involved a large group of spectators, all of them gathered in the gym to watch the 7th-8th grade boys basketball team faceoff against St. Albans.
By the time officers responded to the scene, the “melee” had already come to an end, and many of those involved — including Russel Giroux, the deceased — had already left the sports facility.
Giroux “subsequently sought medical attention, was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, and was pronounced dead at the hospital,” state troopers said. “The circumstances of his death are under active investigation.”
The Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito will also assist in the probe.
“In some respects, I’m at a loss for words,” DiSabito told WCAX “This should never happen.”
He added: “Very sad. And it’s because of adults and I’m sad for my community.”
School officials with the Grand Isle Supervisory Union, which includes Alburgh, called the incident “tragic.” In a an open letter to parents, Principal Beth Hemingway, Superintendent Michael Clark and Director of Student Services Nick DeVita emphasized that the students remain a top priority after the incident.
“We need our students and community to commit to the positive culture that our school community expects and deserves,” it reads. “We commend the coaches and players of both teams as well as the Alburgh and St. Albans City staff in attendance who supported the students.”
The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of Giroux’s death, police said.