Five killed in Haiti as vigilante crowds target suspected gangs

Vigilante killings are surging in Haiti's capital and surrounding areas, where an additional five men were slain and set on fire on Tuesday by a crowd that left one of the bodies near a police station in an upscale community.

The male victims were apparently brought out alive from the slum of Jalousie outside Port-au-Prince and then killed, according to people in the crowd.

Most of the bodies were left strewn along the road that leads to the home of former President Jovenel Moïse, who was killed in July 2021.

A fifth body was left close to the police station in suburb of Petionville.

“It's horrible for them to be killed in front of the eyes of the police,” said Jean Marc Étienne, who witnessed the scene while sitting in a park in front of the station.

“That shows nobody is safe, that anybody can be killed.”

The Associated Press visited the police station, where authorities declined to comment.

A police spokesman did not return calls for comment.

At least 18 people have been reported killed by crowds in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas since last week, although videos and pictures shared on social media suggest the number is higher.

The images largely show crowds pelting men with big rocks and setting fire to gasoline-soaked tires placed around or over their bodies.

AP/