Lawyer Antonio López was fatally shot after opening fire on officers as they approached him in his car in central Caracas, police said.

BY FABIOLA SANCHEZ
Associated Press

CARACAS - A lawyer who authorities suspect may have been involved in the assassination of a top state prosecutor last week was killed Tuesday in a shootout with police, officials said. A police officer was also killed in the cross-fire.

Authorities said they are also investigating several other people believed involved in the attack.

Lawyer Antonio López was fatally shot after opening fire on officers as they approached him in his car in central Caracas, Police Chief Henry Zerpa said. He said López, who was being investigated in the killing of prosecutor Danilo Anderson, was trying to escape.

Two policemen were injured in the shootout, and one of them later died in a hospital, said police.

Anderson, known to many Venezuelans as the ''super prosecutor,'' was preparing a case against nearly 400 people who backed Venezuela's short-lived 2002 coup. He was killed Thursday when two explosions ripped through his SUV as he drove through the capital.

His death touched off a wave of protests and threatened to heighten tensions in a country that has suffered years of violence, labor unrest and political instability.

Hours after Anderson's assassination, Venezuela's information minister claimed the attack was carried out by rebels being trained in the United States. But other government officials later argued that the minister's remarks had been misconstrued. President Hugo Chávez, in a speech to the nation, avoided finger-pointing. Authorities declined to provide other details about the shootout.

In a related development, prosecutor General Isaías Rodríguez told reporters that authorities had located the SUV used by the men involved in the assassination. Rodríguez said authorities were investigating the vehicle's owner, but declined to identify the individual citing security concerns.