Haiti’s First Lady Martine Moise was airlifted to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition after she was wounded during the presidential assassination.
An air ambulance carrying the critically wounded first lady landed in South Florida at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hours earlier, her husband, Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in their home.
Martine Moise, 47, received multiple gunshot wounds to her upper torso, legs, arm and hand. Her current condition is listed as “stable” and “out of danger”, according to WPLG.
President Moise, 53, was shot multiple times and killed by commandos at the presidential palace in the hills above Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The Haitian president was shot 12 times and one of his eyes was gouged out, DailyMail.com reports.
A graphic photo showing the president’s mutilated body lying on the ground sparked speculation that he was castrated to “send a message.”
The commandos pretended to be agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to gain access to the presidential palace in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Moise’s terrified daughter Jomarlie hid in a bedroom and was not injured. She told police the commandos shouted “DEA agents” as they stormed the palace.
Haitian police exchanged gunfire with the commandos, killing four of them on Wednesday. Two of the commandos were arrested, according to DailyMail.com.
From his hospital bed, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow at the “odious” assassination and condemned all forms of violence, according to a Vatican statement.
Pope Francis is in the hospital recovering from surgery. He is pictured with the Moises during a private meeting on January 26, 2018 at the Vatican.
Martine and Jovenel, a former auto parts salesman, were childhood sweethearts who attended the same school in Port-au-Prince. They were married in 1996 and share three grown children.
First Lady Martine Moise is pictured giving school kits and shoes to students in Port-au-Prince in 2017 — the year her husband took office.
Haitians accused President Moise of becoming a dictator. His refusal to hold elections last year to pick his successor resulted in civil unrest and violence on the island nation.
On Wednesday, millions of Haitians huddled inside their homes as the Haitian police and military took control of the country.
Prime Minister Joseph Claude assumed sole power of Haiti — despite Moise appointing his replacement the day before he was gunned down.
