PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean says he was grazed by a bullet in the hand when he stepped out of his car in Haiti to make a phone call.
The Haitian-American performer tells The Associated Press he had just left the car Saturday night when he heard gunfire. Jean says the next thing he noticed, there was blood on his shirt and sneakers.
He told the AP in a telephone interview Sunday that he has no idea who fired or whether the rounds were targeting him.
He says a doctor treated him at a hospital and he is taking antibiotics.
Neither police nor hospital officials could immediately be reached.
Jean says the shooting happened in the capital of Port-au-Prince. He says a driver and the hip-hop singer known as FanFan were with him.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was recovering Sunday after receiving a gunshot wound to the hand while campaigning for a fellow performer who is running for president.
The shooting happened in the Delmas section of the capital, Port-au-Prince, after 11 p.m. local time Saturday (11 p.m. EDT; 0300 Sunday GMT) said Joe Mignon, senior program director for Jean's Yele Foundation. Jean was treated at a hospital and later released, Mignon said.
Jean's brother, Samuel, confirmed the musician was shot. Neither he nor Mignon had additional details, and a spokesman for the Haitian National Police could not be reached immediately for comment.
Jean, a native of Haiti who rocketed to fame as a member of the hip-hop trio The Fugees, is in his home country to support fellow musician and friend Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, one of two presidential candidates in a run-off vote taking place Sunday.
Last week, Jean participated in a Martelly concert in downtown Port-au-Prince that sought to win over voters.
"We are happy that Wyclef is okay but we continue to pray for him and for a peaceful and fair election today in Haiti," the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has worked with Jean on educational issues and bringing aid to Haiti after the devastating January 2010 earthquake, said in a statement.
The statement also quoted Jimmy Rosemond, who it said was accompanying Jean on his current trip to Haiti.
"It is clear that enemies of progressive change in Haiti are behind the shooting of Wyclef - those that don't want to accept that a monumental change is inevitable for the betterment of the Haitian people," Rosemond said. "This incident will not deter those of us that see the election as crucial to the country's future."
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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