On August 21, 2023, 36-year-old Ray Shawn Wood was fatally shot during a funeral luncheon in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The event, held on the 600 block of Long Lane, was attended by approximately 50 to 100 people mourning the recent death of James Ford, who had been killed days earlier in Clifton Heights. As attendees were leaving the venue around 5:15 p.m., a gunman exited a dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu and opened fire into the crowd. Wood was pronounced dead at the scene, while three others sustained injuries: one individual was critically wounded, and two suffered graze wounds.
Investigators believe the shooting was an act of retaliation connected to the earlier homicide of James Ford. Ford's nephew, 25-year-old Birchett Lamont King, had been arrested on the same day as the luncheon shooting, accused of killing his uncle on August 17, 2023, following a dispute over a car. Authorities suspect that the attack on the funeral gathering was in response to Ford's murder, escalating tensions within the community.
As of the latest reports, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting that claimed Wood's life. Upper Darby Police are actively searching for the suspects involved, focusing on the dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu used in the attack. The incident has left the local community shaken, with residents expressing concerns over the apparent cycle of retaliatory violence and the disregard for human life.
