Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

These images show the nine-year-old boy who was shot dead as he was sleeping by gunmen who shot through his front door as they tried to break into his house.

The incident took place in the early morning on Sunday in a house located in the Edilberto Solano colony, in the municipality of Choloma, in the northern Honduran department of Cortes.

Local media report gunmen were allegedly trying to break into the house and they opened fire on the front door.

One of the bullets is said to have passed through the door and hit Luis Daniel Ramos Torres, nine years old, as he was sleeping in bed.

His mother rushed to his aid and he had suffered a bullet wound to the left side of his chest.

A relative of the victim told local newspaper El Heraldo: “The boy was still alive, but he could not be taken out of the house earlier because they were scared the thugs were still outside, that is why they called the ambulance, but it arrived too late!”

The boy was declared dead at the scene and cops went to the house to launch an investigation.

Photos from the scene show the boy dead next to the bed with blood on the sheets.

Local media report the alleged assailants ran away from the scene, and so far they have not been identified or arrested.

It is unclear why the gunmen were trying to break into the house.

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.