An American missionary couple has been killed in Haiti as gang violence intensifies in the Caribbean country.
The couple were among three people who were killed in an attack on Friday, May 24.
Natalie Lloyd, 21, her 23-year-old husband David, and Jude Montis, a 20-year-old Haitian, were ambushed by gunmen as they left a church.
The deaths were confirmed on Facebook by Natalie’s father Ben Baker who is a Missouri State Senator.
Baker said his heart was broken after the tragic incident.
He urged for prayers for his family as they needed strength.
“My heart is broken into a thousand pieces. I’ve never felt this kind of pain. Most of you know my daughter and son-in-law Davy and Natalie Lloyd are full-time missionaries in Haiti,”
“They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed. They went to Heaven together. Please pray for my family we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family as well. I have no other words for now,” Baker said.
Davy and Natalie were married in 2022.
Their missionary organisation, Missions in Haiti, confirmed that Montis was the third victim.
The three are reported to have been killed by two separate armed gangs, starting with an attack by gunmen in three vehicles.
“After another group arrived and a gang member was shot dead, the three missionaries were trapped in a house while the gang went into full attack mode,” the organisation is quoted.
In an earlier report by WoK, gangs in Haiti are reported to be growing stronger ahead of Kenya’s police deployment.
Haitian gangs control the country’s infrastructure, from police stations and seaports.
The gangs have chased hundreds of thousands of people from the capital and have links to the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president.
