Jun. 16 - Crime

One of our cooks lives in Cite Soleil, near the police station in the Bois Neuf area. Sunday morning Christianie and her family had to stay in their home to avoid the gun fire in the area. Pray for peace in Cite Soleil. Gangs from that area come into the Delmas 31 area and cause problems for the people. Last week one of our kindergarten teachers, Mdm. Node who lives in the Delmas 31/Cite-aux-Cayes neighbourhood awoke in the middle of the night as thieves tried to break into her family's home. The thieves were not able to break through the 2nd door of her home. She wants to move from Cite Aux Cayes because of the crime problems. The family has a home in the La Tremblay/Croix des Bouquets area which was built for them after the earthquake. They don't want to move there either due to the crime. In La Tremblay a neigbbourhood watch group of citizens patrols the area until 4:00am each evening. Crimes begin again in that area as soon as the neighbourhood watch patrols are finished. Please pray for the safety of our workers and families.

Bandits attacked the police station in Cite Soleil
(Radio Metropole)

Gang members attacked on Sunday morning, June 14, 2015, the police station and the Justice Of The Peace Court in Cité Soleil, revealed Evans Levesque the magistrate.

The bandits performed a reprisal attack after the death of Solomon Mackenson known under the pseudonym of "Te Quiero". Mr. Solomon, gang leader of the first cite of Cité Soleil was killed on the morning of Sunday, June 14 in a shootout with a blue helmet patrol of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) .

The first cite of armed groups, Pele and Boston launched an attack against the police station and the peace court. They tried to burn down the peace court while the police station was the target of gunfire. There are many projectile impacts on the police station, said the judge noting that reinforcements moved quickly to protect police officers from the police station.

According to preliminary investigation the gang leader was drunk when he came out of his residence to attack with his firearm a Minustah patrol. The incident was recorded at 9 am. Witnesses report that he continued firing at UN peacekeepers even after being shot, said judge Levesque.

Police authorities have indicated that this gang leader was wanted by the police.

The sprawling slum of Cite Soleil has 34 districts, some of which are controlled by gang leaders. Over the past few months clashes between armed groups have killed dozens of people.