Four U.S. missionaries shot to death in Iraq
Attack is second on civilians in past week
 | |
|  VIDEO |
 Members of the Iraqi Governing Council sign their country's interim constitution.
 PLAY VIDEO
 The U.S. administrator for Iraq says ending the occupation is key for Iraqis and Americans.
PLAY VIDEO
|
RELATED |
 • Audio Slide Show: Iraqi council signs constitution
|
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A fourth American missionary died overnight from wounds from a drive-by shooting in the northern city of Mosul, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
A fifth Baptist missionary was wounded in the attack. The missionaries were working on a water-purification project, church officials and friends said.
Larry T. Elliott, 60, and Jean Dover Elliott, 58, of Cary, North Carolina; and Karen Denise Watson, 38, of Bakersfield, California, were killed in the attack Monday, according to the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. (Full story)
David E. McDonnall, 28, of Rowlett, Texas, died Tuesday morning as he was being flown to a military support hospital in Baghdad, according to the U.S. military and the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
His wife, Carrie Taylor McDonnall, 26, remains in critical condition, according to the group.
Gunmen fired AK-47 assault weapons on the civilian vehicle, witnesses said.
Mission Board President Jerry Rankin said Southern Baptists shared in the sorrow and grief.
"In times like this, there are no words that will take away the pain of a loved one's violent death," Rankin said in a statement. "Everyone in the IMB family and everyone who loves Southern Baptists' overseas workers are grieving with the family members and co-workers of these precious souls."
An Iraqi police officer found the bullet-riddled car shortly after the shooting, which occurred at 5 p.m. Monday (9 a.m. ET).
"We do not know what the five U.S. citizens were doing at the time of the attack, but we do know they were in the Mosul area to deliver relief supplies," the military said in its statement.
It was the second deadly attack on U.S. civilians in less than a week.
Fern Holland, 33, a lawyer, and Robert Zangas, 44, a press officer, along with their Iraqi translator were ambushed and shot and killed while traveling on a road south of Baghdad March 9. (Full story)
The two Americans were employed by the U.S.-led civilian Iraqi administration.
Meanwhile in Washington, the Bush administration is hearing from protesters calling for an end to U.S. military action in Iraq. (Full story)
Monday's march began outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where many wounded troops are taken. About 60 protesters then walked toward Lafayette Park, across from the White House -- a nearly 6-mile trek, where their numbers swelled to about 100.
With the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq less than a week away, Bush administration officials are trying to highlight positive progress in Iraq.
"Twenty-five million people in Iraq are free," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told CNN. "They've been liberated. The schools are functioning. There's a new interim constitution that protects the rights of women and will protect minorities and ethnic elements in that country. It's an advance for freedom." (Full story)
Reuters contributed to this report.
