A man who died after a fight by a block of flats in south London would often confront drug dealers on his estate, his father has said.

Scotland Yard launched a murder investigation after the 46-year-old man, who was named locally as Ian Tomlin, died in Battersea on Wednesday. The following day, relatives paid tribute to him as a “great father” and a man who “never had a problem with anyone and wouldn’t start fights”.

“There were always drug dealers hanging outside his home smoking – he told them to move on because his kids live there,” said Tomlin’s 84-year-old father, Cecil. He told the London Evening Standard: “Maybe that started an argument. He was worried for his kids.”

Speaking to the Wandsworth Guardian, Cecil Tomlin said his son had discussed his concerns about suspected drug dealers and said he believed they killed him.

“He has been afraid of them. He don’t smoke and they were selling drugs outside his house. He told them: ‘Don’t sell here, don’t come here and sell drugs because I can’t stand the scent of it’.

“He used to do boxing. He was a very good father, I know he was a good man, he was very good and kind to everybody. Everybody likes him. The government needs to do something.”

On Thursday, the Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed neighbour as saying: “Every night, they [suspected drug users] would ring all the buzzers asking to get in to go the dealer’s flat. Ian used to get really annoyed, especially when his kids were there and he had confronted them in the past. He was not a violent person but he always wanted to protect his kids.”

Medics battled to save the man, who has not been officially named, after he was found at about 5.30pm on Wednesday. Officers were initially called to reports of a mass brawl in a communal areas of the flats. The man was pronounced dead at 6.15pm, Scotland Yard said.

Police said his next of kin had been informed and a post-mortem examination would be scheduled in due course. “All other suspects had fled the scene prior to police arrival,” officers added.