DAVAO CITY – Two women, identified as sisters, were wounded after they were shot by unidentified assailants in Barangay Ubalde, R. Castillo, Agdao District, Davao City, on Sunday evening, July 5, 2026, prompting an intensified police investigation and a search for the perpetrators.
New details released by the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) revealed that the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute involving one of the victims and her live-in partner, who has been identified as the primary suspect in the attack.
Speaking in an interview, DCPO spokesperson Police Major Maria Teresita Gaspan said the shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on July 5 in Barangay Ubalde.
According to the police investigation, one of the victims, identified only by the alias “Nita,” sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest after she was allegedly shot by her live-in partner. Her sister, identified only as alias “Gina,” was also hit by a bullet in the buttocks after she was caught in the incident.
Despite her injury, Gina managed to run from the scene to seek help from nearby residents.
Initial reports indicated that Nita had been selling durian in the area before the shooting took place.
Gaspan said investigators learned that the couple had an argument before the shooting. Police believe the confrontation escalated after the woman, allegedly driven by jealousy, damaged the suspect’s motorcycle, further intensifying the dispute.
Immediately after the shooting, the suspect fled the scene and remains at large.
Both victims were initially given emergency assistance by responders from the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (BDRRMC) of Ubalde before being rushed to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), where they continue to receive medical treatment. Authorities said they are closely monitoring the condition of both women.
The gunfire caused panic among residents in the neighborhood.
One witness recalled hearing several gunshots while doing laundry nearby. Thinking it was something else at first, the witness went outside and discovered that a woman had been shot. The witness also described the heartbreaking scene of one victim’s child crying uncontrollably after seeing his mother lying wounded, saying the incident was especially traumatic for the young child who witnessed the violence.
Police have launched follow-up operations to locate and arrest the suspect while investigators continue to gather evidence and statements from witnesses to establish the complete sequence of events.
Authorities emphasized that the incident appears to be an isolated case linked to an alleged violation of Republic Act No. 9262, or the Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act. The investigation remains ongoing as police work to ensure the immediate arrest of the suspect and the filing of appropriate criminal charges.