Christian American missionary couple killed by gang in Haiti – Deseret News

An American couple working as missionaries in Haiti and another man were shot dead by gang members on Thursday, family members said.

Davy and Natalie Lloyd were “gang attacked” and “both killed” Thursday night, Natalie Lloyd’s father, Missouri State Rep. Ben Baker, said in a Facebook post.

“They went to heaven together. Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family too. I’m at a loss for words right now.”

The couple worked for the Oklahoma-based nonprofit Missions in Haiti. A Facebook post from the organization said the couple had just left a church building when they were “ambushed by a gang of three truckloads of men.” The Associated Press reported that the third victim was a Haitian man who worked as a local Missions in Haiti staff member.

Missouri Republican Governor Mike Parson expressed his “deepest condolences” on the couple’s deaths in a post shared on X, calling it “absolutely heartbreaking news.”

In a statement on Friday, the White House said, according to CNN, that it was aware of the reported deaths and was calling for the deployment of a UN Security Council-approved international police force to the region.

“We are aware of reports of deaths of U.S. citizens in Haiti. Our condolences go out to the families of those killed, who are feeling unimaginable grief,” a national security spokesperson told CNN. “The security situation in Haiti cannot wait. That is why President Biden yesterday reaffirmed our commitment to support the expedited deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to strengthen the capabilities of the Haitian National Police, protect civilians, restore the rule of law, and pave the way to democratic governance.”

Earlier this week, missions in Haiti expressed optimism about the reduced “gang activity.”

“Things have calmed down over the past two weeks,” the organization wrote on Facebook. “Some gangs are realizing that their rule is coming to an end… The people of Haiti are hopeful that gang rule may soon end. We pray that this happens, and the sooner the better.”