Thousands of protesters in Haiti�s capital and other major cities blocked roads, shut down businesses and marched through the streets Monday to demand that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down and to call for a better quality of life.

Associated Press journalists observed an unidentified man fatally shoot a demonstrator in Port-au-Prince and then flee in a car as the crowd temporarily scattered.

Demonstrator Lionel Jean-Pierre, who witnessed the shooting, said things in Haiti have gotten out of control.

�Families don�t know what to do,� he said as the crowd around him chanted: �If Ariel doesn�t leave, we�re going to die!�

Violence and kidnappings have surged in Port-au-Prince and nearby areas in recent months, with warring gangs killing hundreds of civilians in their fight over territory. They have grown more powerful since last year�s assassination of President Jovenel Mo�se.

In one of the most recent killings denounced by the prime minister and Haiti�s Office of Citizen Protection, suspected gang members killed eight people over the weekend in one community, including a mother and her two daughters who were set on fire while still alive.

�This collective crime adds to the list of victims…that has reached an alarming proportion,� the office said.

Poverty also has deepened, with inflation reaching 29% and some prices of some basic goods such as rice more than quadrupling. Gasoline also remains scarce and, if available, costs $15 a gallon.

�I need the gas to work,� 28-year-old moto-taxi driver Garry Larose said as he marched. �I have a family to feed, school to pay.�

In one protest, people wore black T-shirts, while at another they wore red T-shirts emblazoned with the words, �RISE UP.�

The protests come days after dozens of demonstrators staged a sit-in in front of Henry�s official residence and demanded that he resign.

On Monday, police clashed with demonstrators in some areas, firing tear gas to break up the crowd as burning tires blocked roads.

(AP)