UPDATED 2:34 p.m. Saturday

A 26-year-old Halifax man died in hospital early this morning after being assaulted on a downtown street, and his death has been ruled a homicide.

Police identified the victim this afternoon as Kaylin Todd Diggs.

Halifax police were called to a disturbance in the area of Argyle and Sackville streets at 3:49 a.m. and found Diggs lying on the ground. He died in hospital about an hour later and an autopsy was performed this afternoon.

The man had been walking south on Argyle Street near the corner of Sackville Street when an altercation took place and he was assaulted and knocked to the ground, police said.

"He was found in the street," said Const. Brian Palmeter of Halifax Regional Police. "Where the altercation initially took place, if it started on the sidewalk and ended up in the street, whether he was walking on the street, these are all questions that will be part of the investigation."

Diggs' death is the 10th homicide this year in the Halifax Regional Municipality and comes less than two weeks after the killing of a former high school basketball star.

Narico Danefu Downey, 23, was shot dead July 29 in North Preston.

The deadly assault early Saturday also happened not far from where a 23-year-old Dartmouth man died after a fight outside a bar less than eight months ago.

James Phillip Mattatall died in hospital after being involved in an altercation outside the former Toothy Moose Cabaret on Dec. 17.  Police were called to Argyle Street at about 3 a.m. that morning and found a man unresponsive on the ground.

James William Whitehead, 30, of Duncans Cove faces a manslaughter charge in connection with Mattatall's death.

Palmeter said a number of possible witnesses were in the area at the time of today's assault because several bars had just closed.

"We're trying to determine exactly what took place," the spokesman said. "We're interviewing witnesses. We're doing a canvas for video surveillance. We're reaching out to the public and asking anybody who was there to contact us."

Police have yet to identify any suspects and say there's not indication a weapon was involved.

Palmeter said police are still trying to determine how many people were involved in the altercation. Nor can police point to a possible motive.

"There are indications that (the victim) was with some people. But we're trying to confirm all of that. We're also trying to confirm whether or not this was random or not. It's very early on in the investigation."

Officers assigned to the regional police-RCMP integrated major crime unit want to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident.

(jalberstat@herald.ca)