It was supposed to be a day of mourning and closure for the family and friends of Arianna Davis, a 10-year-old girl who passed away after a drive-by incident in Washington on Mother’s Day. But instead, it turned into a day of unfortunate events. It happened when a funeral home director allegedly wounded and fatally injured a pallbearer during the burial service.
The suspect, Wilson Chavis, 48, owner of the Compassion and Serenity Funeral Home, reportedly had a long-standing business dispute with Freeman Funeral Services.
According to witnesses, Chavis confronted a pastor and another person who were affiliated with Freeman at the gravesite and yelled profanities and threats at them. He also spat at
the pastor and claimed that he “owned” Arianna’s body.
When several mourners tried to intervene and stop Chavis from disrespecting the family, he tripped over a concrete vault lid and fell. He then got up, pulled out a weapon from his waistband and opened fire. One of the bullets hit Ronald Banks, 30, who was serving as a pallbearer at his cousin’s funeral. Banks passed away shortly after at the hospital. Another bullet wounded Arianna’s cousin in the leg.
Chavis was arrested at a traffic stop shortly after the incident. He has been charged with first- and second-degree fatal injury and attempted fatal injury. He is currently being held without bond.
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