Two U.S. Christian missionaries were killed in gang violence in Haiti on Thursday, killing his daughter Natalie in the attack, Missouri Rep. Ben Baker said.
Davy Lloyd and Natalie Lloyd, full-time missionaries to Haiti, were shot to death at 9 p.m. Thursday, according to Haiti Missions Inc. information about the attack.
“My heart is broken into a thousand pieces. I have never felt pain like this,” Baker wrote. “They went to heaven together. Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength. Please pray for the Lloyd family as well. . I have nothing to say now.”
The organization is a nonprofit Christian ministry founded by David and Alicia Lloyd and has been in the Caribbean since 2000, according to its website. conduct business in overseas countries. The couple’s son David and wife Natalie Lloyd (Baker) joined the mission after they got married in June 2022, according to Natalie’s Instagram account.
As Haiti faces deadly gang violence, transitional council adopts unprecedented leadership rotation
David and Natalie Lloyd, American missionaries serving in Haiti, were killed in a gang attack on Thursday, said Natalie’s father, Missouri Rep. Ben Baker. (Ben Baker via Facebook)
According to the nonprofit, David, Natalie and several children were attending a youth group meeting at church on Thursday when they “were ambushed by a group of people in three trucks.”
“David was tied up and taken to the house and beaten. The group then took our truck, loaded it with everything they wanted and left,” Mission Haiti posted on social media say.
May 2, 2024, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Armed gangs carried out terrorist attacks on the 24th arrondissement of Delmas and the Solino area on the evening of May 1, causing people to flee their homes. (Clarence Sifroy/AFP via Getty Images)
The group recalled that “another gang” went to the scene “to see what was going on and if they could help, they said.”
“No one understood what they were doing or what was going on, but one of them was shot and now the gang went into full attack mode,” UNMIH said.
Haiti’s council names new prime minister as country continues to face deadly gang violence
On March 5, 2024, armed gang leader Jimmy “Grill” Cherizier and his men appeared in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Clarence Sifroy/AFP via Getty Images))
David, Natalie and another man named Jude were in the house and relayed what was happening to the Mission in Haiti via the Starlink satellite network. While they were hiding, the gang began shooting at the house, Mission Haiti reported.
The Haiti mission lost contact with the missionaries. Hours later, they released news that David, Natalie and Jude had been killed in the attack.
The mission in Haiti and Rep. Baker did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the tragedy, posting “God bless David and Natalie” on the Truth Social website.
“Such a tragedy. Haiti is completely out of control. Find the killer now!!!” Trump wrote.
Heavy rains trigger landslide in Haiti, killing 13
Haitian police are deployed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 9, 2024. Violence occurs. (Clarence Sifroy/AFP via Getty Images)
Haiti, an island nation plagued by poverty, natural disasters and corruption, has been plunged into further turmoil since February 29, when criminal gangs launched a coordinated attack that burned down police stations, opened fire on the main international airport, and attacked Two of Haiti’s largest prisons were cleared and more people were released. The country’s largest seaport also remains paralyzed as food, medicine and other vital items dwindle.
According to the United Nations World Food Program, at least 1.4 million Haitians are on the brink of famine.
Gang leader Jimmy “Grill” Cherichier and his “Group of Nine family and allies” claimed responsibility for the mass jailbreak and ensuing massacre that left at least nine people dead and forced the U.S. Issued an emergency warning to leave Haiti “as soon as possible”. According to the Associated Press, more than 2,500 people were killed or injured in Haiti from January to March this year.
Rival gang leaders Joly “Yonyon” Germine and Eliande Tunis were arrested in Florida and charged with the armed kidnapping and ransom of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian in October 2021, including five children as young as 8 months old. After being convicted of extorting ransom, “BBQ” came to power.
As gangs fight for control of Haiti, U.S. national security faces major risks
President Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto stand for the playing of the U.S. national anthem during a National Day ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden’s administration has agreed to contribute $300 million to a multinational force, including 1,000 Kenyan police officers, who will be sent to Haiti to restore law and order.
“Haiti is in the Caribbean and it’s a very unstable situation,” Biden said Thursday at a news conference with Kenyan President William Ruto. “There’s a lot going on in this hemisphere. So where we are now, we’re Wanting to do the best we can but not wanting to look like the United States has stepped up again and decided this is what has to be done.”
Haiti’s main international airport in Port-au-Prince reopened on Monday for the first time since March, but the seaport remains closed. According to the Associated Press, gangs control 80% of the capital.
The U.S. government has used helicopters to evacuate hundreds of citizens fleeing the violence as well as non-profit groups operating in the besieged capital.
Click here to get the Fox News app
The United States has also flown military aircraft over Haiti in recent weeks, landing at Toussaint-Louiverture Airport to help prepare for the arrival of foreign troops.
“I can tell you for sure that the deployment will take place in the coming days and weeks,” Kenya’s chief foreign affairs secretary Korir Sinoyi said on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
