On Sunday, December 21, 2025, the community of Chadbourn, North Carolina, was shaken by the violent death of 28-year-old male David Ray Ivey Jr. Known affectionately to his friends and family as "D," David was at a residence on Dudley Lane when the tragic incident occurred. The shooting took place while a woman and a child were also present inside the home, adding a terrifying layer to the event.
First responders arrived at the scene, but David had sustained fatal injuries and passed away that day, leaving his loved ones and the Columbus County community in mourning.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement launched an investigation that quickly led to the identification of a suspect. Authorities arrested William Cody Inman in connection with the homicide. Inman was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder for the death of David Ray Ivey Jr. Additionally, he faces two counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied property, reflecting the danger posed to the other occupants of the house during the gunfire.
David, who was born on February 14, 1997, in Columbus County, was a father and a son whose life was cut short by this act of violence. He is survived by his parents, Contina "Tina" Buffkin and David Ray Ivey Sr., as well as his two young sons, Lawson Ray Ivey and Callan Case Ivey. He also leaves behind his siblings, Kaylyn and Lane. A memorial service was scheduled to be held at Worthington Funeral Home to honor his memory, where family and friends could gather to pay their final respects to a man described as having a special presence in their lives.
