Indiana, PA (BN24) – Haitian police confirmed Thursday that officers shot and killed former rebel leader Wilfort Ferdinand after he allegedly opened fire at a checkpoint in the coastal city of Gonaïves earlier this week.
Police spokesman Michel-Ange Louis Jeune said the confrontation unfolded Tuesday when Ferdinand approached the checkpoint in a vehicle with tinted windows, then reversed and fired at officers. Police returned fire, killing Ferdinand and another unidentified passenger.
Authorities said the checkpoint was part of an operation targeting the Kokorat San Ras gang, which dominates the Artibonite region and has been blamed for extreme violence in recent months.
Ferdinand, widely known as Kòmandan Ti Wil, played a central role in the 2004 armed uprising that toppled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He was a key figure in the Artibonite Resistance Front and an ally of Guy Philippe, another former rebel commander.
“Police had no intention of killing anyone,” Jeune told The Associated Press, describing the shooting as an unavoidable response to being attacked.
In the hours after Ferdinand’s death, residents reported heavy gunfire in Gonaïves, and graphic images of his body quickly spread on social media. The killing has sparked ongoing protests in the city, where demonstrations have forced businesses to close and tensions remain high.
Ferdinand’s death marks a significant blow to former rebel networks in Haiti but also threatens to deepen unrest in one of the country’s most volatile regions.
