On the evening of January 4, 2008, Evangelist Caffery D. Woods, a 49-year-old mother, was shot and killed in a tragic incident in Birmingham, Alabama. She was seated in her SUV behind a duplex in the 7400 block of 2nd Avenue South when an assailant approached and opened fire around 7:30 p.m. The barrage of bullets, estimated to be as many as 50 rounds, instantly claimed her life.
Woods was not alone during the attack.
Her 88-year-old mother, Mattie Mae Woods, was in the vehicle with her and was also shot multiple times. Despite her serious injuries, she miraculously survived the ordeal. The two had just returned from a grocery store where they had wired money to one of Caffery's children and were preparing to deliver medicine for her job at a nursing home.
In the aftermath of the shooting, investigators with the Birmingham Police Department came to believe that Caffery and her mother were not the intended victims. The theory that it was a case of mistaken identity was put forward by homicide investigators, who suggested that the perpetrator had intended to harm someone else at that location. Despite this belief, no suspects have ever been publicly identified in connection with the fatal shooting.
The case of Caffery D. Woods' murder remains unsolved. In an effort to generate leads, a reward for information was offered. In July 2008, Governor Bob Riley announced a $5,000 reward, which was later increased to $10,000 by January 2014 as community organizations continued to seek justice for the family. However, to this day, no arrests have been made, and the person responsible for her death has not been brought to justice.
