A 31-year-old man was allegedly attacked and killed Tuesday afternoon in an alley near the 700 block of South Park Street, according to the Madison Police Department.

According to the police report, the first officer arrived on the scene at 1:22 p.m. and immediately called the Madison Fire Department to send an ambulance. Police said the man was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police said the attack would be treated as a homicide and have set up a command post in the South District of Madison.

City Council President Mike Verveer said, “the neighborhood is known for being safe, not for violent crime.” Verveer is currently acting as mayor while Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is in Japan.

Police do not know whether the attack was random or if the victim was targeted, according to Verveer.

The death would mark Dane County’s first homicide of 2008.