Freelance journalist Marckendy Natoux was covering a media event at the General Hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince when he was killed in a sudden burst of gunfire from suspected gang members on December 24, 2024, according to official Haitian government reports and journalists who witnessed the attack.
The journalists were attacked around 11 a.m. while waiting for an event to reopen a wing of the hospital, which was closed following a gang attack earlier this year. Natoux was standing with colleagues outside the hospital gates when the sustained gunfire began, lasting almost one minute, according to witnesses who spoke to CPJ. Seven other journalists were injured.
Health Minister Duckenson Lorthe Blema canceled his appearance at the event after the shooting erupted and was later fired for failing to properly arrange security for the event.
Police at the scene told journalists that they were unaware that the minister was holding a press event that day. The hospital was in fact not operational and had no medical equipment available to treat the injured journalists.
They were instead taken care of by their colleagues, who applied improvised tourniquets and bandages torn from their own clothing.
The government has agreed to cover the cost of treatment for the injured as well as the funeral costs for the dead, as well as providing psychological support.
Natoux worked for Voice of America’s umbrella organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, but also reported for various local outlets, including Heritage Express News, Lavi FM, and Boston Caribbean Network.
Natoux began working for USAGM in 2022 and was dedicated to publicizing VOA Creole’s work, according to one of his colleagues at USAGM colleague, Iscar Blanco.
"He always offered a smile to everyone and a helping hand to anyone who needed it,” Blanco told VOA.
Blanco recalled how Natoux was always quick to help whenever journalists needed a microphone, a cable or anything else. And on the weekend, Natoux often volunteered to help the local community, according to Blanco.
“I am sure that he will always be remembered for his dedication to his work, but beyond work, for his love as a father, husband and friend,” Blanco added.
Natoux is survived by his wife and two children.
A local gang leader, Johnson “Izo” André, claimed responsibility for the attack in a drone video posted on WhatsApp, saying the Viv Ansanm gang coalition had not authorized the hospital reopening.
Natoux’s body was later shown on social media and identified by colleagues.
A police officer was also killed in the gunfire as he tried to return fire.
“They shot at us. Some went down. They were hit by the bullets,” Jephte Bazil, one of the journalists who saw the attack, told CPJ by phone outside another nearby hospital where the injured were taken.
“Some of us were at the entrance and others were inside with the staff,” said Bazil, a reporter for an online media outlet, Machann Zen Haïti.
According to the United Nations, in 2024 more than 5,350 people have been killed in gang-related violence in 2024 and another 2,155 injured in Haiti.
The Haitian government issued a statement after the shooting saying “this heinous act constitutes an unacceptable assault on the very foundations of our society” and pledging its “unfailing commitment to restoring order and bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice.”
The Association of Haitian Journalists (AJH) also condemned what it called a “barbaric attack by criminal groups,” and likened it “to pure terrorism."
It also called on the government to act with greater “circumspection” when organizing press events “to avoid endangering the lives of journalists.”
Another group, SOS Journalists called for an official inquiry into the government’s organization of the media event at the General Hospital reopening, as well as compensation for the victims’ families.
“Organizing an event in an area under the control of armed gangs, without adequate security measures, is an inadmissible decision,” said SOS Journalists president, Guyler Delva.
“This imprudence cost the lives of two journalists and a policeman. Those responsible must be held to account.”