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Man arrested over broom-handle brawl that left his neighbour dead in street

A Gold Coast man has been arrested over a fight involving a broom handle that led to his 60-year-old neighbour’s death in his front yard.

Nov 18, 2020, updated Nov 18, 2020
Police have discovered the body of a man in a 'suspicious' house fire at Coomera (Photo: ABC)

Police have discovered the body of a man in a 'suspicious' house fire at Coomera (Photo: ABC)

Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn says the 48-year-old man is in custody after the fight on Whiting St, Labrador, early on Wednesday morning.

He says the neighbours got into an argument as the 60-year-old was leaving his home.

The younger man then walked to an aged care facility across the road and returned with broom handle before a physical fight erupted between the pair.

A taxi driver passing at the time pulled over to intervene and police believe he was also attacked by the younger man.

The older man then collapsed and, despite paramedics giving him CPR, he died a short time later.

“It’s very concerning … we see this from time to time – a dispute between neighbours really erupting into something more than that,” Ahearn told reporters.

“It seems on the face of events (that is) what’s happened here this morning.

“And it’s extremely concerning for that to be taking place in a suburban area.”

He said both men’s families were home at the time and witnessed the fight.

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Ahearn said police were speaking with them about what happened.

“They’re in shock, of course, these are dramatic events. They’re still processing that,” he said.

It’s unknown what caused the initial verbal dispute, but Ahearn confirmed it may have been a disagreement over the older man feeding wild birds at his home.

“That’s one of the theories that we’re currently investigating, obviously disputes of this nature can be complex so we’re looking at all avenues here in terms of what background is,” he said.

-AAP

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