Waihi scuffle death ruled from natural causes

A man who died during a scuffle in the small Bay of Plenty seaside town of Waihi Beach last weekend died of natural causes.

Kelsy Thrupp, a 33-year-old Hamilton panelbeater, had a minor scrap with several youths who had fired a paint gun at his car in the township early on Sunday morning.

He fell backwards, injured his head and died virtually where he fell in Fyfe Road in spite of the efforts by local residents and ambulance officers to help him.

Two of the youths involved in the scuffle were charged. A 20-year-old Waihi Beach man and an 18-year-old Tauranga man face a joint charge of discharging an airgun with reckless disregard. The Waihi Beach man also faces a charge of possessing a weapon with intent, said Sergeant Rex Knight from the Waihi Beach police.

Both were due to appear in the Waihi District Court next week.

- NZPA