By: Nurul Fazliana Norman
KOTA KINABALU: A 31-year-old man died after he was believed to have been stabbed with a meat cleaver in an incident in Sulaman Sentral, Kuala Manggatal, early this morning.
The victim was pronounced dead at 6.44am after being brought by family members to Likas Hospital in a critical condition.
Kota Kinabalu District Police Deputy Chief Supt Syed Lot Syed Ab Rahman said preliminary investigations found the incident is believed to have started with an argument between the 38-year-old suspect and a food vendor outside a cafe. The suspect then attempted to stab the man with a folding knife.
The food vendor, however, managed to escape but was chased by the suspect.
The victim, who was at a nearby snooker centre, tried to stop the suspect who was chasing the man.
The suspect then took a meat cleaver before stabbing the victim when he encountered him on the stairs next to a business premises.
The victim managed to flee before collapsing in a nearby vehicle parking area.
The motive is believed to be the suspect’s dissatisfaction with the food vendor.
The Sabah Contingent Police Headquarters (IPK) Forensic Team also conducted an inspection at the scene and found several evidence items including samples for analysis.
The victim’s body was sent to Queen Elizabeth I Hospital for a post-mortem on Nov 15. The post-mortem will determine the actual cause of death.
Police are actively tracking and hunting the suspect. Efforts to obtain other witnesses in the vicinity of the incident scene are also ongoing.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Police also advised the public not to spread any speculation that could affect the investigation.
