Unknown gunmen assassinate Haitian President, Jovenel Moise

Unknown gunmen suspected to be a commando group with foreign elements have shot and killed President Jovenel Moise in private residence on Wednesday.

The Interim Prime Minister, Claude Joseph who announced this on Wednesday, said the attack occurred around 1 a.m. and that the First Lady Martine Moise was also wounded in the attack and is currently hospitalized.

Joseph called the assassination a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act,” according to AP. He added, “All measures are being taken to guarantee the continuity of the state and to protect the nation.”

In Port-au-Prince Wednesday, gunshots could be heard around the capital. Recently there has been an uptick in violence as gangs and police control the streets.