(CNN)  -- A 7-year-old boy from El Paso, Texas, was gunned down across the border in the violent city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general's office told CNN Tuesday.



Raul Xazziel Ramirez had been visiting his father in Juarez on Friday evening when unknown gunmen fired on their vehicle at a roundabout, spokesman Arturo Sandoval said.



At least 18 rounds from a 9 mm weapon were shot at the white 2000 Geo Tracker driven by Ramirez's dad, Sandoval said.



The father, Raul Ramirez Alvarado, 35, died in the driver's seat.



The younger Raul escaped from the vehicle, but was apparently shot in the back, Sandoval said. The boy's body fell forward in front of the vehicle.



The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. Friday. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday, the spokesman said.



Raul Xazziel Ramirez was a third-grader at Glen Cove Elementary School in El Paso, Ysleta Independent School District spokeswoman Patricia Ayala told CNN.



"It's a senseless tragedy that we're trying to come to terms with," she said.



According to El Paso County records, Raul was just three weeks shy of his eighth birthday when he was killed.



The boy lived with his aunt and uncle in El Paso, Ayala said. It was the first semester that Raul was registered with the district.



Raul's classmates were spared the details of his death, but the school was nonetheless shocked at the boy's passing. Grief counselors were made available for both students and teachers, Ayala said.



More than 2,200 killings have been recorded this year in Ciudad Juarez, out of a population of approximately 1.5 million people.



A bloody turf war between warring drug cartels that started last year has made the city one of the most violent in the world.



According to statistics from local prosecutors, Ciudad Juarez records about 10 murders a day. The bloodiest month this year has been September, with 476 killings reported.



The violence has not spilled over significantly across the border to El Paso, but as Friday's shooting showed, the pain of one of the sister cities is shared by the other.



Because of the ongoing investigation, Sandoval declined to say whether drug cartel activity was suspected in the killings of Raul and his father, but added that at least 90 percent of the city's homicides are drug-related.



Raul was not the youngest victim slain this year. In early 2009, a 3-year-old girl was killed together with her father inside a vehicle that was targeted, Sandoval said.
How many people were slain in Juarez? How many were slain in Jaurez this year? What happened after the boy escaped the vehicle? What day were Ramirez and his father killed? When was Ramerez killed? Who was almost eight years old? What number of weeks was Ramirez shy of his birthday? What did the boy manage to do? Where was the boy shot? When was Ramirez killed? How many years old was Raul Xazziel Ramirez? Was Ramirez the youngest to be killed in the region? How many have been slain this year How many were killed this year? In what part of the body was Raul Ramirez shot What do records show? What happened to the boy? What was Raul Xazziel Ramirex just shy of
2,200 More than 2,200 killings shot in the back, Friday just before 8 p.m. Friday. Raul Xazziel Ramirez three escaped from the vehicle, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Friday evening 7-year-old not the More than 2,200 2,200 in the back, Raul was just three weeks shy of his eighth birthday when he was killed. was gunned down across the border in the violent city his eighth birthday
question: How many people were slain in Juarez?, answer: 2,200 | question: How many were slain in Jaurez this year?, answer: More than 2,200 killings | question: What happened after the boy escaped the vehicle?, answer: shot in the back, | question: What day were Ramirez and his father killed?, answer: Friday | question: When was Ramerez killed?, answer: just before 8 p.m. Friday. | question: Who was almost eight years old?, answer: Raul Xazziel Ramirez | question: What number of weeks was Ramirez shy of his birthday?, answer: three | question: What did the boy manage to do?, answer: escaped from the vehicle, | question: Where was the boy shot?, answer: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, | question: When was Ramirez killed?, answer: Friday evening | question: How many years old was Raul Xazziel Ramirez?, answer: 7-year-old | question: Was Ramirez the youngest to be killed in the region?, answer: not the | question: How many have been slain this year, answer: More than 2,200 | question: How many were killed this year?, answer: 2,200 | question: In what part of the body was Raul Ramirez shot, answer: in the back, | question: What do records show?, answer: Raul was just three weeks shy of his eighth birthday when he was killed. | question: What happened to the boy?, answer: was gunned down across the border in the violent city | question: What was Raul Xazziel Ramirex just shy of, answer: his eighth birthday