A couple was shot dead in front of their four-year-old daughter in Barangay Boalan, Zamboanga City.

Police said the couple and their daughter went to the site to check the ongoing construction of their store on board a container van.

When they arrived, the husband disembarked from the van to check the site and a gunman approached and shot him.

The gunman then went to the van and shot the wife twice.

The 51-year-old suspect was arrested during a hot pursuit operation.

He will face murder charges. He did not issue a statement.

Authorities are looking into land dispute as possible motive in the killing.

“Lumalabas na it’s all about the land dispute. The perpetrator is the owner of the land where the couple has been illegally settling for over 9 years,” Zamboanga City Police Office Director, Col. Kimberly Molitas, said.

Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter is set to undergo psychological debriefing after witnessing the incident.

“We already informed them and recommended for psychological debriefing of the young girl to help her recover from the traumatic experience,” Molitas added.