A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by gunmen as he tried to prevent them from robbing his family’s store in Cárdenas, Tabasco. Witnesses said he was shot after he appeared to recognize one of the assailants.

Two armed men burst suddenly into the family store on Friday and looted the cash register. When the men turned to go the son of the owners entered the store and attempted to detain the thieves.

Apparently recognizing one of the attackers, the boy called him by name, which provoked the man to shoot the boy several times before both men fled. The young victim died a short time after.

Officials from the State Attorney General’s Office arrived later to transport the boy’s body to the coroner’s office, where an autopsy will be performed before the body is returned to the boy’s family.

Governor Adán Augusto López Hernández lamented the tragedy in a statement and acknowledged that his administration must take further steps to reduce crime.

According to the security watchdog organization Semáforo Delictivo, murder is on the rise in Tabasco. There were 283 reported homicides in the first quarter of 2019, a 47% increase over the same period last year.

Source: El Universal (sp), Proceso (sp)