Young missionary couple from Oklahoma killed in brutal gang attack in Haiti

A missionary group from Oklahoma says three of its members were killed after a gang attack in Haiti.

The three were associated with Missions in Haiti, a missionary group that runs a school outside of Port-au-Prince.

Missionary couple David Lloyd III, 23, and Natalie Lloyd, 21, died Thursday night after being “shot by the gang,” according to the group’s Facebook page. The missionary group’s Haitian leader, 20-year-old Jude Montis, was also killed in the attack.

Early Thursday evening, Missions in Haiti reported that the Lloyds and Montis had been attacked outside a church.

“Tonight, as Davy, Natalie and the children were arriving from the church youth group, they were ambushed by a gang of three trucks full of men,” the organization wrote on Facebook. “Davy was taken to the house tied up and beaten. The gang then took our trucks, loaded everything they wanted into them and left.”

The organization said the Lloyds were able to report their experience by phone before their cellphone batteries ran out.

“They have barricaded themselves there, the gangs have shot out all the windows of the house and are continuing to shoot,” the organization said shortly before reporting on their deaths. “Their lives are in danger.”

Natalie’s father, Missouri State Representative Ben Baker, posted on Facebook expressing his condolences for the couple.

“My heart is shattered into a thousand pieces,” Baker wrote. “I have never felt such pain.”

Former President Donald Trump commented on Lloyds’ death.

“God bless Davy and Natalie,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Such a tragedy. Haiti is completely out of control. Find the killers NOW!!!”

Since February, Haiti has been confronted with powerful criminal gangs that now control the capital. Thousands of people have been injured, killed or forced to flee as a result of this takeover.

This week, President Joe Biden hosted Kenyan President William Ruto for a three-day visit to the White House. Kenya is working with the United Nations to send troops to Haiti during this crisis. About 1,000 Kenyan officers will arrive in Haiti in the coming days, along with additional troops from several other countries.

There’s more to come…