Spectator, who died after a fight broke out during middle school basketball game, tried to drive home

A grandfather died after finding himself in a brawl that broke out on the sidelines of a middle school basketball game, allegedly over a referee call.

Russell Giroux, 60, was rushed to a hospital in St. Albans City, Vermont, after Tuesday’s fight, which took place at the Alburgh Community Education Center.

The game reportedly involved seventh and eighth grade boys from Alburgh and St Albans Middle Schools, with the violence beginning sometime before 7 p.m. ET. The melee ended when the troops arrived, but was filmed by a bystander.

Police described Giroux as a participant in a hand-to-hand fight and revealed he left the scene in his car but later asked police for medical attention. He was later taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The circumstances of Giroux’s death are “currently under an active investigation,” Vermont State Police said in a statement Wednesday. Relatives mourned the loss on Wednesday, calling the patriarch their “glue” and “provider” for his family.

Scroll down for the video:

Russell Giroux, pictured here with one of his grandchildren, is now mourned after he was involved in a brawl at a local middle school basketball game

Police responded to the fight before 7:00 p.m. EST at a game between Alburgh and St Albans

Following reports of the fight, which initially involved only spectators at the home game between Alburgh and St Albans, State Troopers were called to the center just after 7pm.

Video captured by the scene shows the several adults rushing onto the pitch and dishing out punches and kicks while several students and players watched from the sidelines.

The recording showed several people rushing into the square, many being pushed, tackled and punched.

It also shows at least one student wearing a basketball uniform delivering multiple punches to adults involved in the violence.

The fight ended before the soldiers arrived – by which time many of the participants had already left, including Giroux, whose grandson Ivan is a student at Alburgh Middle.

It’s not yet clear if the youngster, who has since changed his profile pictures on social media to his late grandfather, was a player in the game.

Giroux, police said, would then drive towards his home before stopping his car to appear to inspect his injuries. He then sought medical attention, police said, and an ambulance took him to a nearby hospital.

There, at Northwestern Medical Center in St Albans, Giroux was pronounced dead.

“The circumstances of his death are being actively investigated,” Vermont State Police told DailyMail.com on Thursday, adding that the investigation is being led by both by the Grand Isle State Police and Attorney’s Office.

Cops added The Vermont coroner’s office will perform an autopsy on the 60-year-old while not giving details of his injuries.

However, it is unclear what triggered the melee NBC5 reported that the brawl began after a fan commented on a call from one of the umpires during the game.

The game, outlet witnesses said, sparked a pitchside dispute that eventually spilled over to the court.

Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals’ Association, added that the fight seemingly started out of nowhere.

“They reefed the game and the next thing he knew there were people on the court hitting each other,” Nichols said Wednesday.

“One person had blood all over his face. You have a parent calling the police.”

There were also reports that at least two boys banged into walls after the riot and required hospital treatment.

Nichols urged adults to behave appropriately at similar events, emphasizing that school basketball games are for educational purposes, not adult entertainment.

Alburgh is a town of approximately 2,100 people in northwest Vermont. It is surrounded on three sides by Lake Champlain.

The northern part of the municipality forms part of the border with Canada.

Spectators and players got into a fight at a middle school basketball game in Alburgh

A man later died in hospital after Tuesday night’s fight on the basketball court

A 60-year-old man died in a school brawl in rural Alburgh, Vermont, while police were investigating

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the fight to get in touch with them. Call Det. Tpr. Michael Mattuchio at St. Albans Barracks at 802-524-5993 or leave a tip anonymously online.