NEW DELHI: Three Christian missionaries from an Oklahoma-based mission were killed in an ambush by a gang in Haiti on Friday.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. CDT (0200 GMT) Thursday when gang members opened fire on the residence where the missionaries were seeking shelter.
Haiti has been grappling with months of gang violenceforcing the government to retreat.US secretary of state Antony Blinken has warned that the country is on the brink of becoming a failed state.
Although Haiti’s main international airport in Port-au-Prince has recently reopened after a nearly three-month closure due to deadly gang-related violence, gangs continue to control a significant portion of the capital, and Haiti’s main seaport remains closed.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “Unfortunately, this serves as a reminder that the security situation in Haiti cannot wait – too many innocent lives are being lost.”
Missouri state representative Ben Baker said that his daughter Natalie Lloyd and son-in-law Davy Lloyd, who were working as full-time missionaries, were among those killed. Davy Lloyd was the son of the organization’s founders, David and Alicia Lloyd, who established Missions in Haiti in 2000.
The identity of the third person killed has not been disclosed.
According to Missions in Haiti, the couple was leaving a church when they were ambushed by three trucks filled with gang members. The gang members took Davy Lloyd to a house, tied him up, and beat him before stealing the group’s trucks and some items and leaving.
The organization reported that another gang arrived later to assess the situation and offer assistance, but the circumstances surrounding their involvement remain unclear. During this second gang’s presence, one person was shot and killed, leading the gang to enter “full attack mode.”
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. CDT (0200 GMT) Thursday when gang members opened fire on the residence where the missionaries were seeking shelter.
Haiti has been grappling with months of gang violenceforcing the government to retreat.US secretary of state Antony Blinken has warned that the country is on the brink of becoming a failed state.
Although Haiti’s main international airport in Port-au-Prince has recently reopened after a nearly three-month closure due to deadly gang-related violence, gangs continue to control a significant portion of the capital, and Haiti’s main seaport remains closed.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “Unfortunately, this serves as a reminder that the security situation in Haiti cannot wait – too many innocent lives are being lost.”
Missouri state representative Ben Baker said that his daughter Natalie Lloyd and son-in-law Davy Lloyd, who were working as full-time missionaries, were among those killed. Davy Lloyd was the son of the organization’s founders, David and Alicia Lloyd, who established Missions in Haiti in 2000.
The identity of the third person killed has not been disclosed.
According to Missions in Haiti, the couple was leaving a church when they were ambushed by three trucks filled with gang members. The gang members took Davy Lloyd to a house, tied him up, and beat him before stealing the group’s trucks and some items and leaving.
The organization reported that another gang arrived later to assess the situation and offer assistance, but the circumstances surrounding their involvement remain unclear. During this second gang’s presence, one person was shot and killed, leading the gang to enter “full attack mode.”