The shooting of a street juggler sparked protests over alleged police violence in southern Chile, where several buildings were set on fire and a police officer detained for investigations.
SANTIAGO, Chile – The shooting of a street juggler sparked protests against alleged police violence in southern Chile, with several buildings on fire and a police officer detained for investigations on Saturday.
Local media showed about 10 buildings burned in the southern tourist town of Panguipulli after the shooting on Friday, and officials reported further protests in Santiago, the capital.
Police said Francisco Martínez Romero, 27, resisted the police in a routine identity check.
A video that circulated widely on social media showed a policeman shooting the man’s feet, carrying and sometimes shaking what appeared to be blunt machetes used in his performance. After a moment, he jumped up and ran towards the officer. Several shots were fired and the man fell on the street.
A local judge ordered the policeman, who was not identified, to be detained for investigation for two days.
The video angered some people in the country, who have seen repeated controversies over allegations of police brutality against protesters in recent years. The National Institute of Human Rights says more than 450 people have suffered eye injuries due to supposedly non-lethal projectiles fired by the police during street protests that broke out in 2019.