Haitian police destroy helicopter, kill 7 in gang shootout
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Police in Haiti clashed with gangs Thursday night into Friday in an operation that killed seven gang members and led police to destroy a helicopter after a forced landing, authorities said.
In an operation in the Croix des Bouquets area on the outskirts of capital Port-au-Prince, a helicopter had a “suspected malfunction” and had to make an emergency landing, according to a statement from Haitian National Police (PNH) published on Facebook. The officers are safe but torched the helicopter so gangs could not recover it for their use, the police said.
Earlier Friday, social media videos showed gang members celebrating next to the wreckage of the helicopter.
Seven gang members were killed, according to PNH Spokesman Garry Desrosiers.
Police also recovered a Barrett semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle that was used in the shoot out, which is a “high capacity” weapon that is “often used to terrorize the civilian population,” police said.
The Croix des Bouquets area is controlled by the Viv Ansanm, which means “Living Together,” a powerful gang coalition that has been designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
Criminal groups have expanded their control in Haiti in recent years and now control 90% of the capital. Gang violence has also displaced a record 1.4 million people, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration.
The U.N. has backed a mission led by Kenyan police to combat gangs in Haiti, but the mission has been mired with criticism, including that it has been understaffed and underfunded.
___
Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america