Businessman is shot dead inside a store in the Areia Branca neighborhood, in Petrolina Levi Varjão/TV Grande Rio For the third consecutive year, Petrolina, in the Sertão of Pernambuco, recorded an increase in the number of homicides in the first six months of the year. According to a survey released by the Pernambuco Social Defense Secretariat (SDS-PE), 107 people were murdered in the city from January to June 2026. In the same period of 2025, there were 95 deaths in the city. In 2024, the number reached 92, surpassing the 83 murders recorded in the first six months of 2023. ?: Download the g1 app to see news from Petrolina and the region in real time and for free. Across the state, 1,409 violent deaths were recorded in the first half of this year. The capital, Recife, was the most violent city, with 228 deaths, followed by Jaboatão, with 122, and Petrolina, with 107 homicides. The deadliest month of 2026 in Petrolina was January, with 27 people killed violently. The wave of crimes began on the first day of the year, when two men, aged 39 and 31, were murdered. SDS holds a press conference to publicize new security strategies in the municipality of Petrolina In February, 20 people were killed in the city. With the escalation of violence, state security forces came together to combat the war between rival factions that, according to police, motivated the majority of crimes. During an operation, ten suspects of committing homicides in the municipality were arrested. The deaths of cook Gerlane Maria dos Santos, aged 46, and app driver Danley Lopes da Silva, aged 31, symbolize the fight involving drug trafficking in the region. The two were kidnapped on February 12 and found dead days later, in a bush area on a dirt road that gives access to the N9, in the rural area. In March, the number of deaths in Petrolina decreased, with nine cases. On the other hand, in April the number of homicides rose again, with 21 records. The death of Leidiane Silva Lima, 33 years old, shook the residents of Nova Descoberta, in the rural area. She was murdered on the night of April 18th. Armed men broke into the victim's house and fired several firearms. In June, two teenagers suspected of committing the crime were apprehended. The months of May and June recorded 15 homicides each. On June 16, businessman Paulo Alves was murdered in the Areia Branca neighborhood. Owner of a commercial establishment, he was sitting at the door of the store when the suspect approached, pulled out a gun and fired several shots. The perpetrators of the crime were arrested two days later. Videos: most watched from Sertão de PE