ALBURGH, Vt. — A scuffle broke out between spectators at a high school basketball game in northern Vermont, and a 60-year-old man involved in the altercation was killed, police said.
State troopers were called to the Alburgh Community Education Center shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday following reports of a major scuffle involving spectators during the seventh- and eighth-grade boys’ basketball games between Alburgh and Alburgh. and St. Albans.
The battle ended before the soldiers arrived, and many of the participants had already left. Police said Russell Giroux, of Alburgh, sought medical attention. He was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, where he is presumed dead.
Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals Association, said in a statement that the group that oversees school sports in the state had no information about the event beyond what authorities provided.
“While we cannot speak specifically about the events in this individual game, we would like to emphasize once again that middle and high school sports bring educational and for the benefit of student-athletes”. “Audiences who do not behave appropriately may be banned from events and may face criminal charges.”
The general manager of the Grand Isle Supervisory Federation, which includes Alburgh, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The state police and the Grand Isle state attorney’s office are investigating Giroux’s death. The state medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy.
Alburgh is a town of about 2,100 inhabitants in northwestern Vermont. It is surrounded on three sides by Lake Champlain. The northern part of the community forms part of the border with Canada.
