The father of an American missionary revealed Saturday that his son was tragically shot in Haiti. This disclosure followed a phone conversation during which the son described being trapped and attacked by gang members who had invaded their mission compound.
David Lloyd shared on “Truth Voices Prime” that he heard his son, Davy, recount the initial looting of the compound managed by Missions in Haiti Inc.
Davy reported being struck in the head with a gun. Soon after, a second group of heavily armed gang members stormed the compound, confining Davy, his wife Natalie, and the mission’s local director, Jude Montis, inside Lloyd’s residence there.
David Lloyd added that his son and daughter-in-law were deeply devoted to the children they served in Haiti and had recently embarked on full-time missionary work there.
“They were just perfect for Haiti,” he expressed.
Davy and Natalie Lloyd, along with Jude Montis, faced the fatal attack on Thursday after departing from a youth group activity at a church in the Lizon community, located in northern Port-au-Prince.
Ben Baker, Natalie Lloyd’s father and a state representative in Missouri, stated Friday on Facebook that the couple’s remains were safely transported to the U.S. Embassy.
Lloyd mentioned attempts to negotiate with one gang leader for their release, but reported that the shooting persisted, resulting in the deaths of all three victims.
“They were being shot at and the house was under fire, with the windows targeted,” he recounted.
No group has claimed responsibility, but Lloyd surmised that one gang initially looted the compound before the other gang’s incursion. He noted that the area had succumbed to gang control, making it inaccessible to police forces.
Haiti’s capital has been suffering under the relentless siege of violent gangs that dominate 80% of the city. Authorities are currently awaiting the deployment of a Kenyan police force under a U.N.-backed initiative to curb gang violence in the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
David and his wife Alicia Lloyd, based in Oklahoma, founded the Missions in Haiti organization in 2000, focusing on the well-being of Haitian children.
Hannah Cornett, Davy’s sister, shared with The Associated Press that the siblings grew up in Haiti. Davy later moved to the U.S. to attend Bible college and married Natalie in June 2022. Post-marriage, the couple quickly relocated to Haiti to engage in humanitarian work.
Cornett noted that Montis, a native Haitian, had worked with Missions in Haiti for two decades and left behind two children, aged 2 and 6.
Haiti has experienced a significant surge in gang-related kidnappings and murders, exacerbated by the political turmoil following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
