A Venezuelan actor who performed in the critically acclaimed independent film Bad Hair has been killed in a shootout.
Police told local media that Julio Mendez was among those killed on Thursday night during a confrontation between officers and a group of alleged car thieves in downtown Caracas.
It was unclear if Mendez was among the suspects or was caught in crossfire.
In Bad Hair, the 21-year-old Mendez played a newspaper vendor, winning the role after accompanying a friend to auditions held in the Caracas slum where the movie is set.
The film, which follows a young boy who doesn’t fit into conventional gender roles, received international praise last year for taking a rare look at identity politics in Latin America, and for its large-hearted portrayal of life in working-class Venezuela.
