A tense situation has ruled Thursday, September 23 at around 8:47 in the evening in the town of Cayes Jacmel. Following the arrest of Johnny Joseph, 18 years by the police Guillioteau Hubert, Agent IV of the National Police, assigned to the police station Cayes Jacmel.

Young Johnny was shot and wounded by gunfire from police (2 wounds with the arm one with the leg) after he was overpowered and handcuffed. According to reports the victim had started using abusive language against the officer during the hearing of two people in the area who had a different.

This situation quickly raised the anger of the population which did not take too much time to react. Individuals in the angry crowd set fire to the office of police chief, Communications and the Office of the National Identification Office (ONI) who worked at the police Cayes Jacmel. All equipment and critical parts of the police and the ONI were destroyed, including two motorcycles. Individuals attacked the police Guillioteau reportedly received a bullet of 9mm before being mutilated with machetes and burned to death.

Regional Police Sud'Est accompanied the Government Commissioner at the office of Jacmel, Master Mirlande Daphine and the Departmental Service of Judicial Police (Service Départemental de la Police Judiciaire SDPJ) conducted an operation very tough on the morning of Friday, September 24. At least 30 people were arrested by policemen from the Departmental Unit for Law Enforcement (Unité Départementale de Maintien de l’Ordre UDMO) that were deployed there.

Herve Julien, director departemental of the Sud'Est police said that "the police force would have found tracks of information and projectiles allowing him to carry out these arrests." The leader of the Haitian National Police (PNH) of Sud'Est said an investigation was opened in order to arrest all the accomplices of this crime in order to bring to justice "A list of twenty suspects was submitted to the prosecution of Jacmel", he said.

Master Mirlande Daphine, Government Commissioner of the prosecution of Jacmel deplored the behavior of the population in Cayes Jacmel who chose to make his own justice. Master Daphine said that justice will not powerless in this matter. The latter, however, said the police convict Guillioteau Hubert who had committed an unlawful arrest and arbitrary.

Johnny Joseph, aged 18 wounded 3 times by the police officer was transported to the hospital Saint Michel de Jacmel. The victim in his statements to journalists said it was never intended to insult the police, but rather it was a case of jealousy unlike disseminated. "I have my girlfriend, to my amazement I was informed that it was also that of Guillioteau" he said.

Note that the Commissioner Cayes Jacmel has a staff of eight policemen, including an officer. They were 3 police officers when the population committed the crime. Recall that the town of Les Cayes Jacmel is known as one of the red areas of the department of Sud'Est.

HL/ Claudy Belizaire