US Missionary Couple Shot Dead By Gang In Haiti

Missouri state Rep Ben Baker's daughter and her husband were killed in a gang attack in Haiti on Thursday, May 23. The American couple -- Davy and Natalie Lloyd -- and Jude Montis, the Haitian director of a nonprofit organisation, were shot and killed by gang members, according to their organisation, Missions in Haiti Inc., AFP reported.

Rep Ben Baker confirmed the deaths of his daughter and son-in-law in a Facebook post. "They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed. They went to Heaven together," Mr Baker wrote. He claimed that his “heart is broken in a thousand pieces,” and “I've never felt this kind of pain.”

The Oklahoma-based nonprofit, founded in 2000, was “devastated” over the loss, stating that the missionaries were ambushed by a gang of three trucks full of assailants and killed about 9 o'clock this evening. 

Mr Davy was reportedly “taken to the house, tied up and beaten” and the gang looted their belongings. Just then, another gang arrived and escalated the attack, a Facebook post revealed, adding, “The gangs have shot all the windows out of the house and continue to shoot.” 

The incident has called for urgent action from the White House, with a spokesperson advocating for the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force in Haiti as soon as possible. "The security situation in Haiti cannot wait," said a National Security Council spokesperson. They added that President Joe Biden has pledged support for the “expedited deployment” of the force in talks with Kenya's president.

In response to the attack, Kenyan President William Ruto, during his visit to Washington, vowed that his country's upcoming deployment to Haiti would target the gangs responsible for the violence that has plagued the country, reported AFP.