SANDAKAN: A man who hurled a pipe at a barking dog ended up dead in a fight with the pet owner at a squatter colony here yesterday.
On the same day, police arrested a 30-year-old man outside a nearby restaurant and recovered a 90cm iron rod believed to be the murder weapon.
In confirming the case, District police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Azhar Hamin said the case is classified as murder.
The drama unfolded around 8.30am yesterday at the squatter colony near Taman Mutiara.
Azhar said a man, infuriated by a barking dog, hurled an iron pipe at it but had instead hit two children.
A fight ensued between the children’s father, who is also the dog owner.
"A neighbor, who made the police report, saw the man had used iron pipe while the victim took a plastic pipe during the fight," he said adding the victim was hit several times.
Azhar added the suspect later fled the scene with his two children.
"The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the body had been sent to the Duchess of Kent hospital for post-mortem."