By CESAR JOLITO III

A 41-year-old laborer was killed in a stabbing incident at Barangay Cabadiangan in Negros Occidental’s Himamaylan City on Saturday afternoon, May 30.

“Archie,” a resident of the area, was declared dead on arrival at the Governor Valeriano M. Gatuslao Memorial Hospital after sustaining multiple stab wounds.

Himamaylan police said “Archie” was drinking liquor at a residence in Sitio Palayan together with several companions, including the suspect identified as “Rico,” a truck driver and resident of Barangay Cabadiangan’s Sitio Tongo.

The investigation revealed that the victim was peeling a mango when the suspect allegedly accused him of threatening him with a knife, triggering a heated argument between the two.

The victim’s live-in partner said “Archie” attempted to avoid the confrontation, but the suspect allegedly stabbed him on the left side of his back.

The victim managed to flee, but the suspect reportedly chased him, caught up with him, and stabbed him again on the right side of the neck.

The injured victim was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The suspect fled the scene after the stabbing and remains at large as of this writing.

Authorities have launched a pursuit operation to locate and arrest the suspect./CCJ, WDJ