BEIRUT: A Beirut-based executive, who was initially reported to have died during a car crash in a rain storm early Wednesday morning, is now considered the victim of a gunshot, reported An-Nahar newspaper.

Before Haoulou Tleiss lost control of his car, he was hit in the head with a bullet, the newspaper said Friday.

It is unclear whether he was targeted or had been hit by a stray bullet.

It was initially reported that Tleiss, the vice chairman of the government-run IDAL’s Board of Directors, was driving his car, an Aston Martin, over the speed limit when rain water on the road caused him to crash into a concrete island near Concorde Galleria shopping center in Verdun, Beirut. His car broke in half on impact.

Tleiss, in his early 40s, died in hospital early Wednesday morning. He was due to be married this weekend, a source close to Tleiss said.

Tleiss, who lived abroad for much of his life, including going to university in the United States, was buried Saturday in his hometown of Britel in the Bekaa Valley, a source told The Daily Star.