A dispute over money led to the fatal stabbing of a 56-year-old Freeport man in Hempstead early Tuesday morning, a witness tells News 12.

Detectives say that Hempstead police responded to a call for a man stabbed on Warner Avenue around 4:30 a.m.

Shelia Watts says she witnessed the incident. She was inside a relative’s house on Warner Avenue when she says a man showed up and got into a physical fight with his sister and her boyfriend.

“The fight ensued and it spilled over onto the porch. The brother stabbed him and ran off,” she tells News 12.

She says the dispute was over $60. News 12 was told that the assailant was attempting to collect the debt from his sister at the time of the incident. Police say her 56-year-old boyfriend was trying to protect her.

“The victim, observing this physical altercation between the family members…attempted to intercede on behalf of the female to defend her from the male, and during that confrontation…he was stabbed,” says Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Police say the suspect ran away after the murder and has not been found. Officers with the Bureau of Special Operations searched nearby backyards while members of the Emergency Services Unit dug in storm drains looking for evidence, including the knife used in the killing.

So far, no arrests have been made. Authorities are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.