Three individuals were killed in Haiti as a result of the ongoing rampant gang violence that still affects the nation, including a US missionary couple.
Gunmen ambushed Natalie Lloyd, 21, her husband David, 23, and their 20-year-old Haitian companion Jude Montis as they were leaving a church.
Ben Baker, a state senator from Missouri, who is Natalie’s father, confirmed the couple’s passing on Facebook.
“They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed,” he wrote. “They went to heaven together.”
In 2022, the couple tied the knot.
Mr. Montis was the third victim, their organization Missions in Haiti revealed to US media.
The organization said in a previous Facebook post that the three were attacked by two different armed groups, starting with an assault by gunmen driving three different vehicles.
The report further stated that the three missionaries were locked in a residence as the gang went “into full attack mode” following the arrival of another group and the shooting death of a gang member.
“They are holed up in there, the gangs have shot all the windows out of the house and continued to shoot,” the post said.
Three hours later, missions in Haiti confirmed that all three had died.
A representative for the State Department informed CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the deaths are known to them.
The spokeswoman stated, “We offer the family our sincere condolences on their loss.” “We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson described the fatalities as “absolutely heart-breaking news” on X/Twitter.
To stabilize the country, the White House on Friday demanded the quick deployment of a multinational force under Kenyan leadership.
“The security situation in Haiti cannot wait,” said a National Security Council spokesperson, adding that President Joe Biden had pledged to support the “expedited deployment” of the force in talks with Kenya’s president on Thursday.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those killed as they experience unimaginable grief,” the spokesperson added.
In a Friday interview with the BBC, President William Ruto of Kenya stated that his nation will be deploying troops in the nation in part because of incidents like this.
“We shouldn’t be losing people. We shouldn’t be losing missionaries. It is the reason why we made this decision – knowing very well that the responsibility for security in Haiti is a shared responsibility,” he said.
“We are doing this to forestall and to stop more people losing their lives to gangs,” he added.
A comparable event occurred in 2021 when 17 missionaries from North America were abducted and imprisoned east of Port-au-Prince.
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