Haitian police announced on Wednesday evening that four "mercenaries" involved in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse during an armed attack at his home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, were killed, while two others were arrested. The director general of the national police, Léon Charles, stated in a television interview, "Four mercenaries were killed and two were arrested. Three police officers who were held hostage have been freed." He added that the police pursued the president's killers immediately after the assassination, which occurred around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, resulting in Moïse's death and serious injuries to his wife.
Following Moïse's assassination, transitional Prime Minister Claude Joseph took over power, imposed a state of emergency, and called for calm among citizens in a country facing political crises and gang violence. On Wednesday evening, Haiti's ambassador to Washington, Bocchit Edmond, stated that the assassins of the president were "professional" mercenaries disguised as American security personnel. The president's wife was admitted to a local hospital before being transferred via ambulance flight to the United States, where she was hospitalized in Miami. Following Moïse's assassination, the Dominican Republic closed its borders with Haiti.
