At least three people were killed when armed men opened fire at journalists, police officers, and medical staff during a briefing about the reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital in Port-au-Prince.
The attack, which occurred on Tuesday, resulted in the deaths of two journalists and a police officer, with several others wounded.
The Viv Ansanm gang alliance, which controls much of the capital, claimed responsibility for the shooting.
The journalists were waiting for the arrival of Health Minister Lorthe Blema when the gunfire erupted.
Among the victims were journalists Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean, who were killed in the attack, according to Robest Dimanche, spokesperson for the Online Media Collective.
Other journalists sustained injuries. Police spokesman Lionel Lazarre confirmed the death of an officer.
Photojournalist Dieugo André, who witnessed the violence, described the scene as “like a terrible movie,” adding, “I have the blood of several injured journalists on my clothes.”
In a video posted online, the Viv Ansanm gang alliance claimed they had not authorized the hospital’s reopening, which had been previously occupied and destroyed by gangs in March.
Haiti’s transitional council head, Leslie Voltaire, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and promised that the attack would not go unpunished.
Despite the installation of a new government and the deployment of an international force, gang violence continues to plague Haiti, with up to 85% of Port-au-Prince still under gang control.
The United Nations reports that 5,000 people have been killed in violence this year alone, pushing the country to the brink of collapse.
Source-BBC
