A gang in Haiti opens fire on a crowd of parishioners trying to rid the community of criminals
CTV
A powerful gang opened fire Saturday on a large group of parishioners led by a pastor as they marched through a community armed with machetes to rid the area of gang members.
A powerful gang opened fire Saturday on a large group of parishioners led by a pastor as they marched through a community armed with machetes to rid the area of gang members.
The attack was filmed in real-time by journalists at the scene, and several people were killed and others injured, Marie Yolene Gilles, director of human rights group Fondasyon Je Klere, told The Associated Press.
She watched online as hundreds of people from a local church marched through Canaan, a makeshift town in the outskirts of the capital of Port-au-Prince founded by survivors who lost their homes in the devastating 2010 earthquake.
It wasn't immediately clear how many people were killed and injured in the attack.
Canaan is controlled by a gang led by a man identified only as "Jeff," who is believed to be allied with the "5 Seconds" gang.
Gangs have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, and they are estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince.
Gedeon Jean, director of Haiti's Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, told the AP that he also watched the event unfold online and planned to ask the Ministry of Justice to investigate.
