A five-year-old boy has been left orphaned after his mother, father and two-year-old sister were gunned down inside their home.

Jhonatan Nunes Lourenco, aged 26, Kailane Freitas Santana, aged 27, and Laura, aged 2, lost their lives in the attack that took place inside their home in the Brazilian municipality of Paranagua in the early hours of 20th May.

The couple’s five-year-old son, who was in a different room to his parents and sister, survived the attack.

The family’s neighbours called the police after hearing gunshots. However, by the time officers arrived on the scene, the perpetrator or perpetrators had fled.

One male suspect was caught running away from the scene on CCTV.

Officers found the trio’s dead bodies on a bed inside the residence. Jhonatan had a gunshot wound to the head, Kailane had been shot several times in the head and legs, and their daughter had been shot in the chest.

The police have since revealed that the family had been targeted by two men who passed by on a motorbike and fired gunshots at the house on 13th April.

Officers believe their prime target was Jhonatan or ‘Jhonny’, also reportedly known as ‘Ze do Ouro’ (‘Golden Joe’).

The two men were arrested at the time and served prison sentences. They have been named as Gean Belo Oliveira Canto, aged 19, and Marcos Mateus Alves Abrantes, aged 22.

The police’s initial suspicion is that the killing was a “settling of accounts” between rival gangs.

Officers are investigating the crime and are looking into whether the suspect caught on camera acted alone.

They believe the perpetrator or perpetrators may have been known to the family, as there were reportedly no signs of a break-in.

That said, neighbours told the police that despite the house’s high wall and wire fencing, the front gate was often left unlocked.

The surviving child has reportedly been taken into the care of the state.