D.C. Pallbearer Shot & Killed In Rival Funeral Home Dispute

Funeral Home Director Shoots & Kills A Pallbearer During Dispute With Competing Funeral Home

A D.C mother is mourning not only her daughter, but a close family friend after a funeral home director opened fire during the burial of a 10-year-old girl who was gunned down on Mother’s Day, striking and killing one of the pallbearers.

According to NBC4, Wilson Chavis, the owner of the funeral home providing burial services for Arianna Davis, clashed with two people affiliated with a second funeral home with whom he had a long-standing business dispute.

Chavis reportedly yelled out “I own this body!”, and proceeded to spit on the preacher who ministered at the ceremony. Several attendees of the burial confronted Chavis. He pulled out a gun, fired two shots and drove away from the cemetery, police said.

 

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Ronald Steven Banks, 30, died after the shooting. He had served as a pallbearer for Davis and he was a close friend of the family and had intervened when the argument broke out.

Davis’ mother, Antionette Belk, says this entire situation has traumatized her deeply. She says she’s upset that she didn’t get to properly bury her daughter before more tragedy struck.

“I’m so traumatized that this happened at my daughter’s burial site. I didn’t even get to lay her down, even to put her in the ground, and another incident happened. This is so traumatizing to me, my children, my whole family. It’s trauma after trauma,” Belk told News4.

Chavis, 48, was charged with first and second-degree murder, attempted first and second-degree murder, and related charges, Prince George’s County police said. This is just terrible!