Mission President Shot During Robbery Attempt

The president of a Latter-day Saint mission was shot early Saturday morning during a home invasion in the western section of Mexico City, according to a spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

R. Tyler Wallis, who began serving last month as president of the Church’s Mexico City West Mission, sustained a single gunshot wound after an intruder entered his residence around 2 a.m. local time. He was taken to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition, according to the Church.

His wife, Elizabeth Wallis, was present at the time but was not physically harmed.

In a statement released later in the day, Church spokesperson Sam Penrod said Wallis was “responding well to treatment and under observation.” The Church has not disclosed further details regarding the nature of the injury or the identity of the assailant.

The Mexico Area Presidency, which oversees operations in the region, has assumed temporary responsibility for the mission’s 150+ young and senior missionaries during Wallis’s recovery. The Church stated it is working closely with local authorities as they investigate the incident.

The Wallises, originally from Orlando, Florida, were formally appointed to their mission leadership role in July. President Wallis previously held various lay leadership positions, including bishop and counselor in a stake presidency. As a young man, he served a mission in Arcadia, California. His wife, a native of Provo, Utah, has served in the Church’s women’s organizations.

While acts of violence involving Latter-day Saint leaders remain relatively rare, Saturday’s shooting follows a 2021 incident in Torreón, Mexico, where two armed individuals entered a Church meetinghouse and robbed a gathering of missionaries and local leaders.

The Church has maintained a long-standing presence in Mexico, which is home to more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints, making it one of the faith’s largest populations outside the United States. Missionaries continue to serve throughout the country despite periodic security concerns in certain regions.

As of Sunday morning, no arrests had been announced. The Church said it would provide updates as more information becomes available.