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Haiti senator fires shots as protesters circle him, 2 injured

Tuesday, 24 September 2019 10:40 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 24 September 2019 10:49 AM ]

People run as Haitian Senator Jean Marie Ralph Fethiere fires a gun into the air, injuring a photographer for the Associated Press, while facing opposition supporters in the parking lot of the Haitian parliament and senate, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on September 23, 2019. (Photo by Reuters)

A lawmaker from Haiti’s ruling party has used a handgun to open fire during a protest sparked by fuel and food shortages, wounding a photojournalist and a security guard.

Haitian Senator Jean Marie Ralph Fethiere got out of a vehicle near the parliament in the capital, Port-au-Prince, after several angry protesters yanked open his passenger-side door, and fired a handgun into the air on Monday, dispersing the people gathered around his car.

▶️ A Haiti senator fired a pistol during a confrontation with opposition protesters outside Haiti’s Senate, wounding an Associated Press photographer, Monday, September 23.

👉Shots Fired in Haitian Senate, at Least 2 Woundedhttps://t.co/OWgEDDpInx pic.twitter.com/oGqLgFOkUQ
— The Voice of America (@VOANews) September 23, 2019

Associated Press photographer Dieu-Nalio Chery and a security guard were injured in the incident.

The photojournalist, who was wearing a helmet and body armor clearly marked with the word “Press,” was reportedly hit in the jaw by a bullet fragment. His wounds were described as not severe, but he would undergo further treatment this week.

Meanwhile, security guard Leon Leblanc was injured in the stomach. His condition was not immediately known.

Fethiere justified his action, saying it was an act of self-defense.

Protesters had gathered outside the building as the senate attempted to confirm Fritz-William Michel as the new prime minister.

The Caribbean country has been gripped by weeks of anti-government protests triggered by crippling fuel shortages.

Protesters call for the resignation of Jovenel Moise, who took office in 2017, as they blame him for failing to address government corruption and for mismanaging the economy.

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