Gunmen open fire at rival drug dealers at a Cancun beach. A 12-year-old boy was left dead.

A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed Sunday in the resort town of Cancun, Mexico when gunmen on jet skis unleashed a barrage of bullets apparently aimed at rival drug dealers, according to prosecutors.

The boy – a local resident – was hit by multiple stray bullets and was taken to a hospital, where he later died, Mexican prosecutors said in a statement late on Sunday. The incident, which took place in the municipality of Benito Juárez, is being investigated by the Attorney General's office in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

The latest instance of deadly gang-related violence came as Mexico's president issued a formal call for peace among the cartels in the aftermath of the arrests last week of two high-profile drug lords .

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Armed men on jet skis fired toward beach

Armed men on jet skis opened fire toward the beach, presumably aiming at rival drug dealers with whom they had a dispute, according to the attorney general's office.

Investigators do not believe the boy, who was lounging on a chair near the beach with his family when he was shot, was the intended target.

A person close to the boy's family told Mexican newspaper El Universal that the family spent Sunday at the resort town because "the child loved the beach.

"It is so sad that things like these happen," the person told the outlet.

A spokesperson for the Riu Cancun hotel near where the shooting reportedly occurred told El Universal the victim was not staying at the hotel and that no guests were injured.

Mexican president issues appeal for peace among cartels

A day after the shooting, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a public appeal to drug cartels to cease violence, according to reporting from the Associated Press .

The announcement came on the heals of last week’s arrest of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder and alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel , along with the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman .

Both Zambada and Guzmán’s son were arrested Thursday by federal authorities in Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The men, who are believed to be leaders in the Sinaloa cartel, are facing multiple charges for leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen , USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gunmen open fire at rival drug dealers at a Cancun beach. A 12-year-old boy was left dead.