‘Horrific assassination.’ Well-known Haiti political leader killed in gang-plagued region
On Oct. 4, 2015, eight Haitian presidential candidates participated in a live presidential debate of the Haitian Diaspora 2015 Electoral Forum at North Miami High School auditorium in Florida. - CARL JUSTE/Miami Herald/TNS

A well-known political leader who headed one of Haiti’s center-left political parties after making a name for himself in the lottery business is dead after being ambushed Friday night in the green hills above Port-au-Prince. Eric Jean-Baptiste, 52, and a bodyguard were both killed sometime after 9 p.m. by armed men in Laboule, Haiti National Police spokesman Garry Desrosiers said. Desrosiers said an investigation is ongoing and declined to give any additional information. However, The Miami Herald has learned that Jean-Baptiste, who is the current secretary general of the Assembly of Progressi...