Two Journalists Suffer Violent Deaths While Investigating Gangs In Haiti
Two journalists were killed in Haiti on Thursday (Jan. 6) by suspected gang members while reporting on the gang problems in the Caribbean nation, the Miami Herald reports.
John Wesley Amady and Wilguens Louis-Saint, themselves Haitian, were shot in the Laboule 12 neighborhood in the hills above the capital Port-au-Prince, an area that is controlled by violent gangs.
Early media reports stated that the reporters were burned to death. However, CNN, citing images it obtained of the corpses, reported that the bodies were retrieved on Friday (Jan. 7) and showed no signs of being burnt. The pictures showed a clear gunshot wound to the right temple of one of the journalists.
According to the Herald, Robest Dimanche, a spokesperson for an association of online journalists said Amady, Louis-Saint and a third journalist were crossing a canal that separates two gang territories when gunmen attacked their vehicle. The third reporter, who was not immediately identified, escaped.
Amady was on assignment for Montreal-based Radio Écoute FM, and Louis-Saint worked for several online outlets.
An already deadly wave of gang violence got worse after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, according to the Herald. Kidnappings have skyrocketed, including the abduction of 17 Ohio-based Christian missionaries in October.
A GoFundMe campaign seeks to raise $20,000 to help with funeral expenses and the needs of the journalists’ families.
