A Canadian gunned down in Batangas City was preparing to flee the Philippines following an ugly property dispute.

Philippinelifestyles.com reported that Barry Gammon and his wife Luzviminda were outside their garage when two gunmen approached and shot them at about 7.45pm on Sunday, June 24.

They were both taken to the United Doctors of St Camillus Hospital in the city but the 66-year-old died while being treated for multiple bullet wounds.

His wife was hit by a piece of a deformed bullet and sustained bruises on her right thigh. Their nine-year-old son hid inside the home and was uninjured.

Now CBC News has reported that the Canadian had been involved in a dispute over a right of way.

Speaking to the broadcaster, Superintendent Sancho Celedio, Batangas City chief of police, said: “The suspect might have been commissioned… as someone to kill for a contract that had been made on Barry Gammon.

“Apparently Barry Gammon had altercations with certain personalities in his block regarding a possible dispute about right of ways.”

He added that a suspect with a criminal record had been identified. “We’ve already filed charges against the suspect. And we’re now waiting for the warrant of the arrest to be issued,” he said.

“Until then, we would rather that we are silent about his identity, so that precludes any attempt for him to go out of the area, or it will be a challenge for us.”

Mr Gammon, originally from Montreal, had lived in the Philippines since 2008 after spending much of his life living in the USA.

Due to rising tensions in the neighbourhood, the family had planned to leave the Philippines without delay and move to Canada. Their house had already been put on the market.

Supt. Celedio said the murder had left him “very concerned”.

“We want all the foreign tourists and even those who are residents in the city and elsewhere to be secured and protected by the local police,” he said.

“We would like to see it as an isolated incident.”