A Kenyan police officer who is part of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti on Tuesday suffered a gunshot injury during a gunfight with a section of the gangs.
According to a statement obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the officer was reportedly shot in the shoulder while attempting to expel the gangs.
The incident occurred while the Kenyan contingent was patrolling along the National Hospital-APN Sea Port road when they noticed a truck that was being attacked and looted by suspected bandits.
Upon intervening, the officers found that the gang had shot the driver when they looted the loaded truck that was ferrying bags of rice.
The patrol team immediately engaged the gangs after they started shooting at them. It was during the firefight that the Kenyan officer suffered a gunshot injury.
Following the incident, the officer was evacuated and rushed to the Life Support Area (LSA) hospital where he was treated and left to recuperate.
“The officer is optimistic and is in stable condition pending further medical treatment,” read the police statement.
Similarly, the gangs escaped with serious, life-threatening injuries, disappearing into the tall buildings they were shooting from.
The incident comes hardly a day after Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille escaped unharmed after gangs opened fire near a hospital in Port-au-Prince where he had paid a visit.
CNN journalists had been interviewing the interim prime minister at the hospital when gunshots were heard in a nearby neighbourhood.
The incident occurred while Garry Conille was in the company of Haitian National Police and members of the UN-backed Kenyan security force.
Security forces protecting Haiti’s leader provided cover by firing back at the gangs as Conille's motorcade rushed to leave the hospital premises.
