Report : Widow of former Haitian president killed in robbery

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti_The elderly widow of a former Haitian president was shot to death Friday during a robbery at a jewelry store, local radio reported.

Lucienne Heurtelou Estime, who was married to former President Dumersais Estime, was shopping at the store in downtown Port-au-Prince when five gunmen burst in and began shooting.

Heurtelou Estime, who was in her eighties, was shot twice and died on the way to a hospital. The owner of the jewelry store was wounded in the attack.

A police spokesman did not answer calls seeking comment.

Estime became Haiti’s first black president in 1946 but was overthrown four years later in a military coup. He died in 1953.

Heurtelou Estime later served overseas as an ambassador and wrote a biography about her husband.

Haiti’s capital has been gripped by violent crime since 2004.