WATCH: Alburgh Community Education Center basketball match brawl leaves 60-year-old man dead

A massive fight that broke out at a middle-school basketball game in the town of Alburgh on Tuesday, January 31, left a 60-year-old man dead. The basketball game was between seventh and eighth graders from St. Albans City Elementary School and Alburgh School.

According to Vermont State Police, Russel Giroux was driving home from the basketball game on Tuesday when he called 911. He was found in his vehicle by first responders, who then took him to St. Albans’ Northwestern Medical Center. There, Giroux was pronounced dead.

Disclaimer: This video contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Shortly before 7 pm, police were called to respond to reports of a large brawl between multiple spectators at the Alburgh Community Education Center. On Wednesday, February 1, police shared that they were still investigating what prompted the fight.

---

Some adult spectators started the fight at Alburgh Community Education Center

A brief video clip of the fight surfaced where a chaotic scene could be witnessed. About a dozen people, mostly adults, converged on the basketball court, throwing punches at one another and some were seen wrestling on the ground. One person was herding the players off the court in the background of the video.

Some adults tried to drag one of the seemingly agitated students wearing a blue jersey out of the scene, but the student protested and went back to throw punches at an adult who was already on the ground.

Vermont Principals’ Association’s executive director, Jay Nichols, said that the altercation started between some adults who were seated in the bleachers. The fight then spilled over onto the basketball court and people got physically violent.

Nichols recommended on behalf of the organization that if a school feels that they cannot control the parents of their students during such games, the school should bar parents from attending the games.

The Vermont State Police wrote in a release issued on Wednesday:

“The melee ended before troopers arrived on scene, and some participants had departed the school.”

Police said that Giroux was one of the individuals involved in the ruckus in Alburgh. However, it was not clear whether his death was a result of the fight.

The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office along with the State police performed an autopsy on Russel Giroux. The cause and manner of the 60-year-old’s death were not immediately disclosed as it demanded further investigation.

Two students with minor injuries were also taken to the hospital, although they did not take part in the brawl. But according to the town’s fire warden, Terry Tatro, the two got upset and punched a wall. Tatro was among the local first responders to reach the scene.

Doug DiSabito, Grand Isle State’s Attorney, who has been assisting state police with the investigation, stated that the incident at Alburgh was part of a recent and larger trend of misconduct by spectators at school sports across the state.

DiSabito added:

“This is terribly, terribly sad. And people that were engaged in it should be ashamed of themselves.”

---

According to officials, last month, a girls’ basketball game between Middlebury Union High School and Enosburg Falls High School was canceled because spectators supporting Enosburg students had made racially inappropriate comments toward the players from the other school.

During another basketball game at Bellows Free Academy, which was against Milton High School, fans were banned after a person from the audience allegedly passed racist taunts.