66-year-old Singaporean businessman, Chan Kim Tay, was killed after being shot in the head on MOnday in the Batangas province of Manila, Phillipines; in what is suspected to be an assasination.
The victim had recently finished his errands at a public market in Lian town and was en route home at approximately 6 p.m. on Monday.
At that moment, an unidentified individual approached him and fatally shot him in the head, as confirmed by Sergeant Arthur Rosales, the assigned case officer, according to the Straits Times.
Following the attack, Mr. Chan was conveyed to a nearby hospital in Nasugbu town. However, despite the efforts made, he was declared dead upon arrival.
Police chasing leads
The police are currently reviewing surveillance footage from the vicinity of the crime scene in hopes of identifying the perpetrator. Sergeant Rosales also further stated that investigators are pursuing several leads, including the possibility of a domestic conflict being the motive for Mr. Chan’s murder, as well as the potential involvement of a contract killer.
Having resided in the Philippines for around three decades, Mr. Chan had established deep roots in the country. He was married to Mrs. Marife Chan, a 49-year-old Filipino, and together they had three children aged 28, 17, and 7.
According to Sgt. Rosales, Mrs. Chan has provided her statement to investigators, indicating that her husband did not possess any known adversaries nor engage in any recent altercations. Witnesses have also informed the authorities that Mr. Chan mostly kept to himself as he had never acquired fluency in Tagalog, the local language.
Not the first Singaporean shot in Philippines
Regrettably, this is not the first incident of its kind involving a Singaporean citizen residing in the Philippines. In August 2015, Mr. Stanley Jang, a 36-year-old manager of a computer company, was similarly attacked. He was shot in the face by two individuals while working inside his cubicle in Paranaque city, situated south of Manila.
In the case of Mr. Jang, his widow informed the police that he had been receiving death threats related to a business dispute prior to his untimely demise.
Image source: Philippines Police