Shooting at Chinese store in Verón–Punta Cana leaves three injured

Verón.- A shooting incident that left three people injured occurred Monday afternoon, around 5:10 p.m., at the Chinese-owned store “Long,” located on Barceló Avenue near the Olé supermarket in Verón–Punta Cana, according to the Criminal Investigations Division (DICRIM).

Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident began with a heated argument between two employees of the establishment: Natacha Benjamin, 24, of Haitian nationality, and Carmela Bello Raúl, 46, Dominican. The dispute escalated and nearly turned physical, prompting the store’s security guard, Rafael Hernández Hernández, to intervene in an attempt to separate them.

During the struggle, Benjamin allegedly disarmed the guard, taking his service weapon—a Taurus .38 caliber revolver—and fired four shots inside the establishment. As a result, Mayloveda Pierre, of Haitian nationality, sustained a gunshot wound to the neck with an exit wound, while Dorcelin Climat, also Haitian, was wounded in the left leg. Bello Raúl and a customer who was inside the store at the time were also injured.

After the first shot, two male employees attempted to restrain the aggressor but were also shot during the confrontation. DICRIM officers apprehended Benjamin at the scene, and she remains in custody as authorities proceed with the corresponding legal process.

National Police investigators continue to collect evidence and clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident. The three injured Haitian nationals remain hospitalized, and their medical conditions have not yet been officially disclosed.