Phnom Penh (CNN) Cambodians have taken to the streets to mourn the death of a high-profile political commentator and government critic after he was fatally shot at point blank range.

Kem Ley was gunned down at a convenience station attached to a gas station Sunday morning, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Local news reports said he was drinking his regular morning cup of coffee.

His death brought thousands onto the streets, with mourners surrounding a car containing his body as it drove through the center of the capital Phnom Penh.

Earlier, a furious crowd had prevented police from taking away the body, which lay on the floor of the Star Mart inside a Caltex petrol station for hours in a pool of blood, a witness, who didn't want to be identified, said.

The body was eventually draped in Cambodian flag and taken away, the witness added.

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