A former child actor was found shot to death in his vehicle, police in the northeastern Brazilian resort city of Porto Seguro said.
João Rebello, 45, was sitting in his SUV when two men rode up on a motorcycle and opened fire Thursday evening, witnesses told the police.
The gunmen shot Rebello at point-blank range, striking him 12 times and fled from the scene.
The Porto Seguro Civil Police did not provide a motive for Rebello’s murder and had not made any arrests as of Friday afternoon.
Rebello rose to fame as a young boy, acting on multiple soap operas that aired on TV Globo.
He was only seven-year-old when he made his debut as ‘Maneco’ in the 1986 romance soap opera Cambalacho (Scam), which was directed by his late uncle Jorge Fernando.
Rebello returned to acting three years later as ‘Juninho’ in the soap opera Bebê a Bordo (Baby on board).
Directors were satisfied with his acting skills which landed him the role of ‘Sig’ in the 1991 soap opera Vamp.
The actor then played ‘Nicolau’ in the following year in the soap opera Deus nos Acoda (God gives us strength). After a five-year hiatus, Rebello was returned to play the role of ‘Baby,’ a surfer in the soap opera Zazá.
He moved to England at the age of 18 study before returning to Brazil several years later and met his future wife, Karine Santana.
Rebello found a career away from acting and had been working as a DJ and directing videos.
His family was still searching for answers as they made the final funeral arrangements.
‘We still don’t know what happened,’ his sister Maria Rebello said in an Instagram Story video Friday. ‘The Bahia police are investigating, and we are here giving all the statements.’
Maria asked the public to refrain from spreading rumors and asked ‘for a little compassion.’
‘Please, people, stop saying things you don’t know,’ she said. ‘My brother was a person of light. He was an honest guy, he was a discreet guy. Please respect our pain.’