American Missionary Couple Killed in Haiti Gang Violence

Facts

• Natalie Lloyd, 21, the daughter of Missouri State Sen. Ben Baker, and her husband, Davy Lloyd, 23, were killed by Haitian gunmen as they left Church earlier this week. A third victim, 20-year-old Haitian man Jude Montis, was also confirmed dead.¹
• The Christian group Missions In Haiti Inc. announced that they were killed Thursday evening, with Sen. Baker confirming on Facebook that the US State Department had recovered the bodies of his daughter and son-in-law.²
• In his Facebook post, Baker said his loved ones were 'ambushed by a gang of 3 trucks full of guys' and 'shot and killed' at around 9 p.m. Thursday.³
• Davy's mother, Alicia Lloyd, who co-founded the mission group in 2000, said her son called her to say gang members had beat him and stole their vehicles. However, they then returned to their compound, where the couple hid for multiple hours before their deaths.⁴
• Gangs have fought to take control of Haiti over the past several months, with the US ordering embassy workers to evacuate the country in March.⁵
• The deaths also came hours after US Pres. Joe Biden, speaking alongside Kenyan Pres. William Ruto, said he was optimistic about Haiti's security thanks to the imminent arrival of a US-backed, Kenya-led 2.5K-strong police force.³

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²FOX News, ³Guardian, ⁴NBC and ⁵Daily Wire.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Washington Post. While the international police force is nominally led by Kenya, the US is the one funding and coordinating the deployment. Unfortunately, Republicans have stalled the passage of a vital $94M security package, which could put the larger $300M pledged by Washington at risk. The deaths of these missionaries show that gangs are still in charge, and Congress needs to step up now.
• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. Biden is feigning ignorance on this issue, as Washington already has the power to send US soldiers to ensure the safety of Americans still trapped in Haiti. Unlike Kenya, Haiti is in the US' backyard, and Americans have family members on the island who are at risk of facing the same brutality imposed on these missionaries. Biden needs to lock down this situation and keep Americans safe.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Intercept. The US, through its international proxy, the UN, has been forcing its preferred leaders on the Caribbean island nation for the past 20 years. These so-called security missions and pseudo-democratic initiatives have led to dictators, assassinations, and coups every time, and the West seems determined to do it again. Haiti could find peace if its people were released from this US stranglehold.

Predictions