Venezuela Poised For New Violence as Security Forces Fatally Shoot Protester
Local Editor
Venezuelans are bracing for a further escalation of violence after a 17-year-old protester was shot dead by the National Guard, and the Supreme Court announced charges against the country's attorney general - one of the most senior officials to speak out against the government of Nicolás Maduro.
Fabian Urbina died on Monday after security forces opened fire with handguns during clashes with demonstrators on a major highway in Caracas.
Initial reports said six others were wounded - one of them critically - in the incident.
The interior minister, Nestor Reverol, confirmed Urbina's death on Twitter, where he said the cause of death was presumed to be "excessive use of force" adding that those responsible would be "presented to their superiors to determine their responsibility".
Video footage of the incident shows Urbina, wearing a beige hooded sweater, running alongside a group of young protesters carrying wooden shields and throwing stones at a line of national guardsmen.
One of the National Guard members can be seen drawing what appears to be a 9mm pistol and shooting into the crowd. Another clip, filmed moments later, captures the moment when Urbina collapses to the ground.
Venezuelan law prohibits the use of lethal weapons during street protests, but the country's security forces have been accused of increasingly repressive measures during three months of political turmoil.
More than 70 people have died since protests first erupted in April, following the Supreme Court's decision to strip powers from the opposition-led Congress. Violence has erupted nearly every day in clashes between the security forces and protestors hurling stones and petrol bombs.
The victims include members of the police and National Guard, passersby, and demonstrators who have been struck by teargas canisters or targeted by government supporters, but Urbina is the first person to have been shot dead by security forces.
Attorney general Luisa Ortega Díaz - who in recent months has become a high-profile thorn in the side of the government - has accused security officers of excessive force against protesters.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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