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48-year-old Wilson Chavis allegedly shot Ronald Banks, 30, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at a funeral. Banks was the pallbearer during the burial of a 10-year-old girl. The young girl, identified as Arianna Davis, reportedly died in a drive-by shooting in Washington on May 14, 2023. A woman, identified as Arianna’s cousin, also sustained an injury in the leg.
The FBI confirmed that Davis died after a stray bullet hit her while she was in her family car’s backseat. She succumbed to her injuries three days after the tragic shooting. The authorities announced a reward of $10,000 for anyone providing information regarding the shooting that could lead to an arrest.
The horror of gun violence plagued the mourning family of Davis even on her burial day at Washington National Cemetery in Suitland, owned by Wilson Chavis. Arianna Davis’s mother has described the incident as extremely traumatic.
Funeral home owner Wilson Chavis traumatized the family of a young girl who was being buried by shooting the pallbearer
The Davis family went through a tough time when 10-year-old Arianna Davis got hit by a stray bullet on May 14, 2023. Unfortunately, she could not be saved and died on May 17. She was finally getting buried at a funeral home owned by Wilson Chavis in Washington. However, the family was yet to suffer another tragedy when a shooting took place even during the burial.
Wilson Chavis allegedly shot the pallbearer to death when the young girl was being buried. Arianna’s mother, Antionette Belk, also confirmed that a cousin of Arianna also got wounded in the leg during the crossfire. Prince George’s County police arrested Chavis at a traffic stop and charged him with first- and second-degree murder and attempted murder.
The shooting allegedly took place as a result of a dispute going on between a competing funeral home and Wilson Chavis. The shootout broke out soon after Chavis confronted a pastor and another individual who was possibly associated with Freeman Funeral Services. Chavis spoke to the pastor and said,
“This ain’t your f**king funeral home.”
Arianna’s mother has described the entire incident as traumatizing for the family
Several mourners then confronted the frantic owner and told him that he was disrespecting the family. Meanwhile, Chavis backed up, tripped over a concrete vault lid, and fell. He immediately got up, pulled his gun out, and began shooting. Belk further recalled the incident and said,
“This is so traumatizing to me, my children, my whole family. It’s trauma after trauma.”
Belk further said that during the chaos, the funeral home owner yelled at the pastor, spat at him, and said that he “owned the body.” A temporary peace order has been filed against Wilson Chavis by Glenda Freeman, the head of Freeman Funeral Services, for the alleged threats and harassing behavior. Several other employees working for Glenda sought protection, including the pastor, identified as Joseph Fletcher.
However, when the petitioner failed to appear in court on Tuesday, the temporary order was dismissed. While police have arrested and charged Wilson Chavis, Arianna’s killing still remains unsolved.
According to reports, Chavis has been charged with first and second-degree murder and attempted murder.
