A five-year-old boy has died after he was shot in the heart in the doorway to his own home, allegedly by his dad’s new girlfriend’s ex-partner.

The little boy, who has been named as Tiago Melchori, was reportedly standing in the doorway to his house in the town of Pedro Molina in the department of Guaymallen in the west-central Argentine province of Mendoza on Saturday night, 19th February.

Two men reportedly passed by the house and greeted the young boy’s father before continuing on their way, but when they reached the corner, they allegedly fired a single shot towards the home, which hit the young boy in the heart.

Tiago was taken to hospital, where doctors could only pronounce him dead on arrival.

The two suspects have been arrested and the incident is being investigated. The authorities are also investigating the motive and whether or not the ex-boyfriend acted out of jealousy or revenge.

Unnamed sources close to the investigation told local media that they are trying to “determine if the aggressors fired the shot intentionally or if it was an accident, it is not clear yet”.

The prime suspect has been named as 23-year-old Mario Enrique Flores, who is the former partner of the victim’s father’s new girlfriend.

Investigators are attempting to determine if the suspect was acting out of revenge because he used to be in a relationship with the father’s current girlfriend.

It is also currently unclear if the victim was the intended target, as Tiago was outside his home with his father and other unnamed relatives.

A police spokesperson reportedly confirmed that the suspect has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2016, which includes illegal possession and abuse of firearms.

The last arrest warrant issued for the suspect was on 13th December 2021, for aggravated damage.

The investigation is ongoing.