Haiti President Jovenel Moise was assassinated early Wednesday by gunmen who entered his home and shot him down, further destabilizing the Caribbean nation.
As per reports, his wife was also shot in the arm and was wounded in the attack.
Meanwhile, Claude Joseph, the interim president urged the public to remain calm.
"The president was assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish," Joseph said.
Moise had ruled Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree, after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed in the wake of disputes, including on when his own term ends.
Kidnappings, gang violence, political volatility is not new in Haiti. The Caribbean nation also faces chronic poverty and recurrent natural disasters.
The president faced steep opposition from swathes of the population that deemed his mandate illegitimate, and he churned through a series of seven prime ministers in four years. Most recently, Joseph was supposed to be replaced this week after only three months in the post.
As well as presidential, legislative and local elections, Haiti was due to have a constitutional referendum in September after it was twice postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Further, the United States expressed shock over the incident and said it was ready to assist in any investigation.
