By Eric King
A murder investigation is underway after a man was fatally injured during a brawl at a bedsit.
The victim had been beaten unconscious at an address in Birmingham on Tuesday evening, and later died at the scene.
West Midlands Police office told theeyeofmedia.com that they could not say what had caused the fight, neither could they reveal the identity of the victim at this stage.
A spokesperson for West Midlands police told theeyeofmedia.com ” at this stage we cannot say what caused the fight, as it is part of our investigation. We also cannot give the identity of the victim because of our duty to first identify the family of the victim and notify them before releasing the information”.
Probed to give a superficial cause of the fight, like whether it was over a girl or money owed, the spokesperson said: at this stage, we are still trying to establish which of the various accounts given is correct. The investigation is still in progress. Murder usually involves intent as a condition for being labelled such, but West Midlands police told the eye of media.com: ” at present, it is a murder investigation. It could change when it gets to court, but we are still examining the evidence, and will provide more information in due course”.
A police cordon at the scene in Mansell Road, Small Heath, Birmingham (Matthew Cooper/PA)
Cops were called to the multi-occupancy house in Mansell Road, Small Heath around 7.10pm, following reports of a disorder. Upon their arrival they discovered that a fight had erupted between two residents in the property, leading to one of them being killed in the fight.
Detective Chief Inspector Edward Foster said: “Clearly we are at an early stage of the inquiry but we understand there was a fight inside the address that has led to a man suffering fatal injuries.
“We have identified some significant witnesses and are conducting quick-time inquiries − but we are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time and heard a disturbance or perhaps someone running from the scene.”
Fights leading to a death are not a common occurrence, but they do happen. It all depends on the brutality of the fight and the vulnerabilities of the victim. At present, the assailant is in custody and will be there for at least 24 hours when police will have to decide whether to charge him or not. Only in a clear case of self-defence will he be released, but chances are that he will be charged with either manslaughter or murder. He is likely to be held on remand until the case is heard in court.