Associated Press reporters observed an unidentified man fatally shoot a protester in Port-au-Prince and then flee in a car as the crowd temporarily dispersed. Protester Lionel Jean-Pierre, who witnessed the shooting, said things in Haiti have gotten out of hand. “Families don’t know what to do,” he said as the crowd around him chanted: “If Ariel doesn’t go, we’re going to die!” Violence and kidnappings have increased in Port-au-Prince and nearby areas in recent months, with warring gangs killing hundreds of civilians in their battle for territory. They have become more powerful since last year’s assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Protesters fill the streets in Port-au-Prince on Monday. (Odelyn Joseph/The Associated Press) In one of the latest killings denounced by Haiti’s prime minister and the Office of the Citizen’s Protection, suspected gang members killed eight people over the weekend in a community, including a mother and her two daughters who were set on fire while they were alive. “This collective crime adds to the list of victims… which has reached an alarming rate,” the office said. Poverty has also deepened, with inflation reaching 29 percent and prices of some staples such as rice more than quadrupling. Gasoline also remains scarce and, if available, costs US$15 a gallon. “I need the gas to work,” said 28-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Garry Larose as he marched. “I have a family to feed, school to pay for.” Firefighters battle a fire set by protesters in Port-au-Prince on Monday. (Odelyn Joseph/The Associated Press) At one protest, people wore black T-shirts, while at another they wore red T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “RISE UP”. The protests come days after dozens of protesters staged a sit-in outside Henry’s official residence and called for him to step down. On Monday, police clashed with protesters in some areas, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd as burning tires blocked roads.
