07 March 2004
Ricardo Ortega
Shooting
Spanish television journalist Ricardo Ortega was killed and American news photographer Michael Laughlin was injured in Port-au-Prince after shooting broke out as demonstrators were dispersing.
At least six people were killed and about 30 were injured. Witnesses said the shots were fired by pro-Aristide gunmen known as chimères. The demonstrators had been calling for Aristide followers to be brought to trial. Ortega did not die at the scene. After being shot, he took refuge in a nearby house with Laughlin, a photographer with the South Florida (United States) daily "Sun-Sentinel", who had also just been injured by gunshots. Laughlin said Ortega continued to film footage with his video camera after being shot. The two journalists were taken to the Canapé Vert hospital in Port-au-Prince, where Ortega died from his bullet injuries, one to the chest and another to the abdomen. Laughlin, who was hit in the shoulder and face, was to be evacuated to a Florida hospital.
