Clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police in the Peruvian capital, Lima, have left a 32-year-old man dead and more than 100 people injured, including many police officers.
The protests come less than a week after José Jerí was sworn in as the interim president following the impeachment of his predecessor in office, Dina Boluarte.
Wednesday’s demonstrations were organised by mainly young Peruvians who demand that the country’s political class do more to combat high levels of crime and corruption.
President Jerí said the protest had been infiltrated by criminals set on causing chaos and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the protester’s death.
He wrote on X that he “regretted the death” of Eduardo Ruiz Sáenz, but did not give further details as to what caused it.
Ruth Luque, a left-wing member of Congress, meanwhile said that “preliminary information” indicated the hip hop artist had been killed by a bullet wound to the chest.
Luque posted a photo of herself on social media in which she can be seen speaking to a member of staff at the hospital to which many of those injured in the clashes were taken.
Local media quoted witnesses who said they saw the musician being shot by a man they accused of being a plainclothes police officer.
President Jerí said an investigation would be launched “to determine objectively what happened and who is responsible”.
Jerí of the conservative Somos Perú party was sworn into office on Friday last week after the then-President, Dina Boluarte, was impeached on grounds of “permanent moral incapacity”.
Jerí is the seventh president to lead Peru in the space of eight years.
As head of parliament, he was next in line to fill the post left vacant following Boluarte’s ouster, to serve out the remainder of her term until the presidential election scheduled for April of next year.
But within days of him taking office, anger at what protesters call the “political class” has spread with thousands taking to the streets to demand “a clean slate”.
The protesters also demanded that the government do more to combat corruption and crime, specifically a wave of extortions which has seen bus and taxi drivers threatened by gangs.
Young activists organised protests in several major cities and demanded that Jerí step aside in favour of an independent lawmaker.
In a message uploaded to TikTok, one of them calling himself “Lando” accused Jerí’s party of having propped up Boluarte, whose popularity rates were in the single figures before her removal.
Somos Perú, which in the past had backed Boluarte, switched sides last week and joined the chorus of those demanding she be impeached.
Analysts say that the armed attack by gunmen on a band on 8 October and the outcry it triggered meant that lawmakers who had previously supported Boluarte felt her position had become untenable.
The ex-president remains in Peru and said earlier this week that she would stay in the country pending several investigations into alleged abuses of power, which she denies.
