Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor:  Lee Bullen, Agency: Newsflash

Seven people including a young child and suspected criminal gang members have been shot dead in a house in Brazil.

Armed men broke into a house in the Brazilian municipality of Ibaretama in the early morning of 26th November.

According to the police, the hooded men broke in through the back of the house at around 3am, approaching the victims and gunning them down.

It is unknown how many men participated in the crime and no arrests have been made at the moment.

The victims’ identities have not been revealed, but seven have been counted in total. Among them were a seven-year-old child, his uncle, a woman, and three male teenagers.

The woman initially survived the shooting, but later succumbed to her injuries. The child’s mother was also shot, but survived.

It is unclear if all seven victims are members of the same family.

The mother of one of the dead men anonymously told local media that she was shaken and does not know what could have motivated the crime.

However, the police believe that the alleged massacre could be linked to a dispute between criminal gangs in the area.

They are currently investigating the case and are also searching for the suspects with the help of an aircraft.

The incident is the second massacre in Brazil’s north-eastern Ceara State in just over a month after five men aged between 19 and 31 were shot dead and a sixth injured at a residence in the municipality of Quiterianopolis on 18th October.

The recent escalation of violence in Ceara State is believed to be linked to drug trafficking disputes, the redirection of the police to carry out health functions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a strike by part of the state military police in February this year.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.