Well, this was avoidable

It would seem that Alfalfa got into a fracas with an acquaintance in a dispute over a dog. Hold while I investigate that....Mother set a smallish fire in her bedroom during the night so I had to go to Miss Parker's villa to use her wiki:

On January 21, 1959, Switzer and his friend Jack Piott arrived allegedly drunk at the home of Moses "Bud" Stiltz in Mission Hills, California, to settle an alleged debt owed to Switzer. Previously, Switzer had borrowed a dog from Stiltz which was lost, but eventually found. Switzer paid the man who returned the dog $35 and bought him $15 worth of drinks from the bar at which he was working. Switzer went to Stiltz's house to collect the money "owed" him. He banged on Stiltz's front door, demanding, "Let me in, or I'll kick in the door." Once Switzer was inside the home he and Stiltz got into an argument. Switzer informed Stiltz that he wanted the money owed him, saying "I want that 50 bucks you owe me now, and I mean now." When Stiltz refused to hand over the money, the two engaged in a physical fight. Piott allegedly struck Stiltz in the head with a glass-domed clock, which caused him to bleed from his left eye. Stiltz retreated to his bedroom and returned holding a .38-caliber revolver, but Switzer immediately grabbed the gun away from him, resulting in a shot being fired that hit the ceiling. Switzer then forced Stiltz into a closet, despite Stiltz having gotten his hands back on the gun. Switzer then allegedly pulled a switchblade knife and screamed, "I'm going to kill you, [expletive]." and was attempting to stab him with it, but just as Switzer was about to charge Stiltz, Stiltz raised the gun and shot Switzer in the groin. Switzer died of massive internal bleeding and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. He was just 31 years old.

As I was saying, avoidable: