TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte — A long-standing dispute between neighbors turned fatal after a 55-year-old man allegedly hacked his 66-year-old neighbor to death during a heated confrontation in Purok 28-C, Kawayanan, Barangay Madaum, Tagum City, at around 6:20 p.m. on September 26, 2026.
The victim, identified by police as alias “Lucrecio,” 66, and the suspect, alias “Jovencio,” 55, are both residents of the same community. Initial investigation by the Tagum City Police Station indicated that the suspect had just attended a neighborhood gathering before proceeding to the victim’s residence, where the two confronted each other over a previous dispute.
The argument reportedly escalated after the suspect brought up their long-standing disagreement, triggering a violent altercation that ended with the older man being attacked with a bladed weapon.
The suspect allegedly hacked the victim in multiple parts of his body, leaving him with fatal injuries. Responders attempted to bring the victim to a hospital for medical treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, the suspect reportedly surrendered to the Tagum City Police Station and was taken into police custody.
Authorities are preparing a murder complaint against the suspect in connection with the killing. The case remains subject to the investigation and the filing of formal charges.
The incident highlights how an unresolved neighborhood dispute can escalate into deadly violence, leaving a family grieving and a community confronting the consequences of a conflict that turned fatal.