Journalist Diego Charles, activist Netty among at least 15 killed in Haiti

A shooting rampage down a main street running through a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince killed at least 15 people, including journalist Diego Charles and political activist Antoinette Duclaire, national Police Chief Leon Charles said on Wednesday.

He said the attack late Tuesday was still under investigation and gave no details on whether it was staged by a single person or multiple shooters. Bodies were found scattered on sidewalks along a main road in Delmas 32, which is a bustling community within Port-au-Prince.

Léon Charles said the shootings occurred just hours after a spokesman for a group of disgruntled police officers known as Fantom 509 was slain in that same area.

The police Chief also blamed allies of Fantom 509 for the mass killing but did not provide any evidence.

“The institution cannot tolerate these acts of reprisal in any form,” said Charles.

The killings shocked many in Haiti and come as gang violence escalates elsewhere in the capital in recent months.

The U.S. Embassy condemned the slayings in a statement, saying it was “deeply concerned by the loss of life and general insecurity.”

"The United States urges the government of Haiti to protect its citizens by countering the proliferation of gangs and by holding the perpetrators of violence and their accomplices accountable,” the embassy said.