Piquet Carneiro: 12-year-old boy shot dead inside home

A 12-year-old boy, identified as Marcelo Xavier da Silva, was shot and killed inside his home in the rural area of Piquet Carneiro, Ceará, on Tuesday afternoon. According to police reports, two men in an unidentified white car invaded the residence in the Jucás locality and opened fire on the teenager before fleeing the scene.

Preliminary investigations suggest the suspects also stole the boy's mobile phone. While one report indicates a suspect may have been killed in a confrontation with police hours after the incident, the Civil Police of Ceará are still working to determine the exact motive. Authorities are investigating potential links between the victim and local criminal groups.

The Mombaça Police Station is leading the inquiry into the homicide. This incident marks the third violent death in the region in less than a month, raising concerns among local residents regarding increasing crime rates in the rural areas of the state.