Caracas: Venezuela's federal police are investigating the shooting death of a mayor who was a member of the opposition to President Hugo Chavez.
Police chief Wilmer Flores Trossel says Mayor Lluvane Alvarez was shot by unidentified assailants as he entered his home on Saturday.
Alvarez was mayor of the Panamericano municipality in western Tachira state. Like other states bordering Colombia, Tachira is plagued by crime related to drug trafficking and other illicit activities.
The chief tells Venezuelan state television that investigators are trying to determine who was responsible for the attack and its motive.
The opposition party Copei posted a message on its blog calling on authorities to clarify the circumstances around Alvarez's killing.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, September 13, 2009, 10:33