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Death of man who fell down stairs during fight ruled self-defense

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INDIANAPOLIS — The death of a 50-year-old man who died after he fell down a flight of stairs during a fight in September was ruled a homicide, but the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office determined it was the result of self-defense, police said Tuesday.

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a disturbance around 8 p.m. Sept. 9 in the 1700 block of Cholla Terrace near West 86th Street and Westfield Boulevard.

Police learned 50-year-old Brian Hale pursued another man up a flight of stairs where a physical altercation began, IMPD Officer Genae Cook said in a news release. Both men fell down the stairs during the fight.

Medics transported Hale, who was unconscious, to St. Vincent Hospital. He died of his injuries on Sept. 25, Cook said.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled Hale’s death a homicide, which the prosecutor’s office said was self-defense on the part of the other person involved.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact IMPD Detective Carlton Howard by phone at 317-327-6100 or by email at Carlton.Howard@indy.gov. People can also call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.

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