Venezuelans rally in anger at death of young protestor

Venezuelan demonstrators blocked streets Friday in protests over the death of a young man shot by police during an anti-government rally the night before. Blowing horns and banging pots, protestors massed on streets in Caracas and other cities, causing traffic jams. The 22-year-old man, recent nursing graduate David Vallenilla, was shot dead Thursday during a protest near an air force base in Caracas, officials and opposition leaders said. He was the 75th person killed in nearly three months of unrest against President Nicolas Maduro. "Maduro, coward, murderer of students," yelled some of the protestors in Caracas. "This is a protest against the brutality with which they are murdering our young people," said one demonstrator, Rina Torres. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol admitted that the man was shot by a military police officer after media published videos of the killing. Maduro had insisted in a news conference on Thursday that police were only allowed to use water cannon and tear gas -- not bullets or shot cartridges -- against protestors. Near-daily protests against Maduro began April 1, with demonstrators demanding his removal and new elections. The protests have often turned violent, with more than 1,000 people injured so far, prosecutors say. More than 3,000 have been arrested, according to the NGO Forum Penal. Maduro's opponents blame him for an economic crisis that has caused desperate shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods. The socialist leader says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy. He launched a plan to rewrite the constitution, which the opposition brands a ploy to cling to power. Opposition leaders called for a "big march" on Saturday in various cities, including one near the Carlota air base where the latest victim was killed.