MIAMI (WSVN) - The assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse sent shockwaves through the Haitian community in South Florida.
Several local leaders are now calling for action by the United States.
U.S. airlines canceled flights to and from Haiti over fears of civil unrest.
“It’s a sad thing. It’s a very sad thing,” said Marcel Moyse.
At Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church in Little Haiti, those who attended Thursday morning’s mass condemned the violence.
“Whether he was a good president or not, whether he did well or not, he’s a human being,” Moyse said. “He shouldn’t have been killed.”
“Something wrong with those people in Haiti,” one man said. “They’re crazy, you know, to let those people go in there and kill the man there with his wife.”
Marliene Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement, said she is watching closely what is happening.
“Members are concerned about their loved ones. I’m concerned about my family because most of my family’s still there,” she said.
“Guys, I can tell you that it’s very, very sad to kill him. That is my president,” said a Haitian official.
Leaders spoke out about the current situation in Haiti.
“He tried to change the system,” the Haitian official said. “They do not want that.”
“We’re very concerned about the wellbeing of the people in Haiti, and we’re here to support them in their next steps and obviously shocked and very saddened,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
With tensions in Haiti on the rise, there are calls for peace amid the uncertainty.
“Going forward, we don’t know how it’s going to be, but we can only hope for the best,” Moyse said.
Local and state leaders will be meeting at the Little Haiti Cultural Center where they will call for unity and U.S. support in Haiti.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.