Latter-day saint mission president shot during attempted robbery, break-in at Mexico home

A mission president with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico’s capital was shot by an intruder during an attempted robbery at his home.

President R. Tyler Wallis, 56, was shot by a thief at around 2 a.m. Saturday evening in Mexico City, according to Sam Penrod, spokesperson for the Church.

Wallis was treated at a nearby medical center in Mexico City and is in stable condition, Penrod said. He was reportedly shot in the torso, below his chest, according to a family friend.

His wife, Elizabeth, was uninjured during the harrowing break-in.

“The Church is cooperating with local authorities as they investigate the incident. All missionaries are safe,” Penrod said.

It’s unclear if anything beyond the break-in led to the shooting.

“Our prayers are with President and Sister Wallis, their family members and the missionaries during this challenging time. The Church is grateful for the thousands of missionaries and their leaders serving as volunteers throughout the world to extend the love and peace that the Savior Jesus Christ offers to each of us,” Penrod said.

Elizabeth frantically called on others to “wake up and pray” for her husband, claiming that he was shot twice, her brother wrote on Facebook.

A friend of the family later called it a “miracle” that Wallis had survived.

“The burglar shot Tyler with 9mm just below the sternum. It penetrated 5mm or 2″ and then, without hitting any organs or arteries, the without explanation, exited out his side. An undeniable miracle that he is not dead,” she wrote on Facebook.

The couple began their mission in Mexico City in July with oversight from the Mexico Area Presidency. Before that, they resided in Orlando, Florida and Wallis worked as the executive vice president of residential services at Summit Broadband, a fiber-optic network company, according to his LinkedIn.

They have four children, according to the Church News. It’s unclear if any of their children were at the mission home during the shooting.

Wallis is set to serve in Mexico for three years, according to his LinkedIn.

There are 17 other pairs of church leaders running missions in Mexico, including four in Mexico City alone, according to the LDS Church.