2 Die As Haitian Police Again Overreact

The future security of Haiti’s fragile new democracy lies in a rookie police force that has shown itself to be as likely to start a riot as to stop one.

Wednesday, for the fourth time in three months, officers panicked when a civilian drew a gun near a carnival parade float, opening fire on a crowd of revelers in Port-au-Prince’s main plaza. In the ensuing chaos, two people were killed and 57 injured, including six policemen struck by bullets.

The trigger-happy reaction raises new doubts about the government’s ability to keep the peace only three weeks after the Caribbean nation’s first peaceful and democratic transition of power.