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Funeral Company Owner Allegedly Shoots Two At Funeral, Including Pallbearer

(Photo by Bastien INZAURRALDE / AFP) (Photo by BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images)

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A funeral service company owner has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting two people, including a pallbearer, during a funeral in Maryland, police say.

Wilson Chavis, 48, was charged June 7 for the shooting death of 30-year-old Ronald Steven and the injury of a second victim identified only as an adult woman Tuesday, CBS News reported. The incident allegedly occurred during a funeral for 10-year-old Arianna Davis who was killed while riding in the car with her family on Mother’s Day in Washington, DC, the outlet reported. (RELATED: DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Admits City Has Faced ‘Concerning Increases In Crime’)

Though Chavis owned the company that was providing the funeral and burial services for Davis and one of the victims, Steven, was a pallbearer for that funeral, police officials stated the shooting incident was “unrelated” to the funeral itself.


“We believe that this was a dispute totally unrelated to what was going on with the funeral, the circumstances leading up to the funeral, the circumstances to the investigation in D.C., this was totally independent of that,” Prince George’s County Major Crimes Division Commander David Blazer told CBS News.

A preliminary investigation into the shooting revealed that Chavis was confronted by two people, one of whom was Steven, just as Davis’ funeral was about to begin. Chavis allegedly confronted them over their affiliation with a separate funeral service company with which he had a “long-standing business dispute,” according to a release from the Prince George’s County Police Department.

“Several funeral attendees became upset with Chavis and confronted him over his behavior. The preliminary investigation suggests Chavis pulled out a gun and fired two shots, striking both victims,” the release continued.

After fleeing the scene, Chavis was stopped by a police officer who took the suspect into custody. Chavis was charged with first and second-degree murder, attempted first and second-degree murder, and related charges, the release stated.