CAGAYAN DE OR0 CITY, Philippines — A violent altercation shattered the midnight quiet of Barangay Kauswagan on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, leaving a 30-year-old man dead and his younger brother hospitalized with severe stab wounds.

The victims have been identified by investigators from the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) as Mark Anthony Torres, 30, who sustained fatal chest injuries, and his brother, 26-year-old Junrey Torres.

According to initial reports from local police station investigators, the incident occurred at around 12:30 AM in a residential zone of Zone 5, Barangay Kauswagan. Witnesses stated that the brothers were standing near a local convenience store when a long-standing personal grudge flared up with a neighbor.

The verbal dispute quickly escalated into physical violence. During the melee, the suspect—who has been identified by authorities but remains at large—allegedly drew a concealed hunting knife and attacked the siblings.

"We heard loud shouting and by the time we looked outside, the suspect was already wielding a knife," an eyewitness told responding officers. "Mark Anthony tried to shield his younger brother, but he took the brunt of the attack."

Mark Anthony was stabbed multiple times in the torso, including a critical wound to the chest. Junrey sustained defensive wounds to his arms and a deep laceration across his abdomen as he tried to disarm the attacker.

Bystanders rushed both victims to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) in the heart of Cagayan de Oro. Despite emergency medical interventions, Mark Anthony was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physicians due to severe internal bleeding. Junrey remains in stable condition but is undergoing close monitoring following emergency surgery.

The suspect fled the scene immediately after the stabbing, taking the weapon with him. COCPO has deployed a tracker team to locate and apprehend the individual, who is reportedly facing charges of murder and frustrated murder.

Barangay Kauswagan officials have urged residents who may have captured CCTV or dashboard camera footage during the midnight hour to turn it over to law enforcement to aid in the swift resolution of the case.