Wyclef Jean Shot, Hospitalized in Haiti

By Christine Fenno Posted Mar 20th 2011 09:41AM

The night before presidential elections in Haiti, Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean, 41, was treated and released from a hospital for a gunshot wound to the hand, according to his spokesperson. Jean was running for president last year, amid controversy, until Haiti's board of elections disqualified him.

Jean's brother, Samuel, confirmed the shooting. Joe Mignon, an officer with Jean's Yele Foundation, told the Associated Press that Jean was wounded late Saturday night in Delmas, a city east of Port-au-Prince.

According to WENN news, the recording artist was with rapper Busta Rhymes and music exec Jimmy Rosemund when the car they were in was "peppered with bullets."

Cindy Tanenbaum, Jean's publicist, told CNN, "He's doing well."

Jean has been in his homeland campaigning for popular musician Michel Martelly as he runs for the nation's highest office (Martelly's opponent is a former first lady, Mirlande Manigat). Ballots are cast today, with results made public by April 16.

The political process in Haiti has been particularly chaotic since the 7.0 earthquake of January 2010. The Red Cross estimated that three million Haitians were affected by the disaster.

Back in 2008, Wyclef recorded a song called 'If I Was President,' which includes lyrics that cast him as a target of political violence: "If I was president / I'd get elected on Friday / Assassinated on Saturday / And buried on Sunday."

Tags: haiti, haiti earthquake, wyclef jean

Comments

(23)

Sunday 20 March

By Benwa

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Woulda bounced off.

By Connie Waterman

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I really don't know if this country can ever be fixed. It appears hopeless but I will continue to pray for these poor people whose leaders/dictators always screw them over.

By hrc

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Sad. Another opportunist claiming to 'care'.... Haiti just can't seem to get a break from any of it...

Wednesday 23 March

By VPC

Why was he in that country...he cant run for President anyway?

By cg

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He is Haitian.

By Angiebaby

Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes and a music exec were in a car peppered with bullet spray, and the only injury was a minor GSW to Jean's hand? I'm not buying it. When's the last time a carload of people was gunned down and the only injury was to ONE hand that didn't even lose a friggin' fingernail? This is some trumped up story with a fake injury to get people to send Jean more money, and to get people to buy Busta Rhymes CD's and to give the music exec a cut from each one plus street cred. Please. Scam in progress.

By maxiesmom067

And since when is "treated & released" called "hospitalized"? Can't get the truth anywhere from the blowhards in Huffnpuff.

By pugz

TOTALLY agree!!

Monday 21 March

By Okay

To: Angiebaby
Sounds like a pretty good summary to me!

By k

If I WERE president...

By bob parks

Another spelling Nazi.

By bob

WHAT A SNOB!!! HE'S TOO GOOD TO GET SHOT IN MIAMI?? HE IS RUINING OUR REPUTATION DOWN HERE!!!

By head

Stupid Moolies! Killing each other off daily and always looking for a handout instead of a handUP! haiti is a toilet..........

By Calvin Crabtree

why did they shoot at him?

By andrew

Because he wouldn't let go of the baggie...

By EIBLEANN

HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN HAITI. HE IS A CITIZEN BUT WAS DISQUALIFIED BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO LIVE THERE FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEARS TO RUN FOR OFFICE. HE HAS DONE A LOT FOR HIS HOME OF HAITI AND HE JUST WANTS TO MAKE IT BETTER. THERE'S A LOT OF CRIME IN HAITI, ALONG WITH STEALING, HUNGER, CHOLERA, AND MORE. MAYBE SOMEONE JUST DOESN'T WANT HIM TO BE PRESIDENT. AFTERALL, HE DID GO IN HIDING FOR A FEW MONTHS AFTER HE TOLD HAITI HE WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT.

By Hmmm

I'm not a fan of Rap and I can't recall ever hearing anything Wyclef has put out as a result. The mentallity that goes along with rap is what sends the message of violence and perhaps that is what prompted the attack. I certainly don't wish the guy any harm.

By will

Rap music has destroyed our youth and our nation. It has made these no talent monkeys millionaires. Let the bullets fly!!!! We have 25 more rap artists that need to be taken out!

By Chris

Gee, if rap's what ruined our kids, the question is who the hell ruined you? Sadistic piece of crap.

By dave

yes indeed!!!!!

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