SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The uncle of popular Puerto Rican hip-hop singer Rene Perez has been shot to death in the U.S. territory.

Perez is part of the Grammy-winning duo Calle 13. He said Friday in a Twitter message that 49-year-old Roberto Joglar Rios was a victim of a swell in crime in Puerto Rico.

Police said Joglar was shot several times late Thursday in front of a school in the San Juan suburb of Rio Piedras. Police said they do not yet have a motive.

Officials say 579 killings have been reported this year on the island of 4 million people, compared with 704 killings in the same period last year, when Puerto Rico recorded a record number of homicides.