SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela — The killing of a 14-year-old boy by a policeman during an anti-government protest is raising already high tensions in Venezuela amid a crackdown on the opposition and crippling economic problems. The student, identified as Kluiverth Roa, was shot in the head and killed on Tuesday during a confrontation between police and protesters in San Cristobal, the capital of a restive western state. Now that city is braced for a night of unrest and government opponents in the capital of Caracas are calling for a rally Wednesday morning. Police officer Javier Mora Ortiz, 23, confessed to firing on the boy with plastic ammunition, officials said. A photo and video of the student lying in a pool of blood, his backpack hanging over his shoulder, as a man frantically tries to staunch the bleeding and others scream and clutch their heads in horror rocketed around social media. Ruling party officials, including President Nicolas Maduro, condemned the killing with rare speed and forcefulness. But what had started as a small demonstration against the socialist government grew into a larger protest as night fell in San Cristobal, with shops closing their doors and public transportation stopping routes in anticipation of unrest. Some schools in the university town near the Colombian border announced that the next day's classes would be canceled. One of Venezuela's more radical opposition parties called for a demonstration in the capital Wednesday to demand an investigation into the cases of students who have died at the hands of the government. Maduro said in a nationally televised address that masked protesters had used rocks to attack police who sought to quell the demonstration. He called on young people to resist instigating such confrontations, but also condemned the killing. “I want to offer my condolences to the parents of this young man who was murdered in an act of violence,” he said. Venezuelan ombudsman Tarek William Saab, a federal official charged with defending human rights, said on Twitter that he deplored the “vile assassination” of the teen, who he named as Kluiverth Roa, though other officials spelled his first name differently. Last month, the government issued a policy change to allow law enforcement officials to open fire and use deadly force to control protests. At the time, human rights groups said the new regulation was dangerously vague, but Saab defended it. On Tuesday, critics questions whether the police might actually have been using live rounds. Also on Tuesday, legislators from Venezuela's ruling socialist party moved to strip an opposition congressman of his seat. Lawmakers began the process of removing Julio Borges from the National Assembly. The Supreme Court must also approve the motion. Borges is one of a laundry list of high-profile opposition leaders recently accused of plotting to overthrow the government, and could be prosecuted if he loses his seat, and thus his legislative immunity. Tensions were already running high in Venezuela following of a slew of bad economic news and the arrest last week of the opposition mayor of Caracas. February marks the one year anniversary of massive street protests that choked neighborhoods around Venezuela and left more than 40 people dead. Dissatisfaction with the administration has grown in the past year. In San Cristobal, residents vented their outrage on Tuesday night. “How are you going shoot point blank at a student who's just leaving school to go home?” asked Glenda Lugo. “We're tired of this injustice.” — AP
