The deaths of the young couple and Mr Montis were confirmed by Oklahoma-based Missions in Haiti three hours later. “We all are devastated,” the group said in a statement, which added that all three had been shot.
Mrs Lloyd’s father, Ben Baker, a Missouri state senator, said: “They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed. They went to heaven together.”
Mr Montis had worked with the organisation for 20 years and left behind a wife and two young children.
Haiti has been beset by widespread gang violence since 2021, when president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. Kidnappings, extortion and murder have plagued the Caribbean nation since.
But violence has escalated even further since February after several gangs that normally fight each other decided to work together and fight the government.
Hospitals, government buildings, police stations and prisons have been attacked, while Ariel Henry, the prime minister, was forced to resign.
More than 2,500 people were killed or injured in the first three months of 2024 alone, according to the United Nations. António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, has described the crisis as “a living nightmare”.
Kenyan peacekeepers to arrive in three weeks
Last year, Kenya offered to lead a UN-backed multinational security force to restore order to Haiti.
William Ruto, the president of Kenya, told the BBC on Saturday that his 2,500-strong peacekeeping police force is expected to arrive in about three weeks, after facing delays.
“We are looking at the horizon of between three weeks and thereabouts for us to be ready to deploy, once everything on the ground is set,” he said.
He added that Thursday’s deaths are “exactly” why his country was preparing to send in its police force. “We shouldn’t be losing people. We shouldn’t be losing missionaries,” he said.
On Friday, the White House also urged the rapid deployment of the multinational force.
“The security situation in Haiti cannot wait,” said a National Security Council spokesman.