Policeman Killed in Chile Clashes

W460

A police officer was shot dead and three wounded in a night of violent protests in the Chilean capital commemorating the victims of the dictatorship of August Pinochet.

The officer was shot in the chest in the capital's southern Pedro Aguirre Cerda community, where protesters clashed with police during a yearly "Day of the Young Combatant" remembrance.

"The policeman died of a well-aimed shot, very close to the neck. They became holed up in the Pedro Aguirre Cerda commune, which is when the shot happened," said police director Gustavo Gonzalez.

Another three officers were injured in clashes at the Villa Francia neighborhood on the outskirts of Santiago.

The commemoration, which pays tribute to two brothers killed during the 1973-1990 military dictatorship, has evolved into an annual night of violent protests in the city's poorer neighborhoods.

Three police officers were injured and 92 people were arrested during the remembrance last year.

Rafael and Eduardo Vergara Toledo, the brothers who have inspired the annual protests, were killed on March 29, 1985.

During Pinochet's 17 year dictatorship, more than 3,200 people were killed or abducted and presumed killed, and 28,000 were tortured.

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