On January 20, 2024, Ava Wood was the victim of a tragic shooting. This true crime story is made all the more harrowing considering the shooter was her father.
The Post-Standard reported that the 14-year-old girl from Baldwinsville, New York had died during a murder-suicide perpetrated by her father, Christopher Wood. The tale started when the girl’s mother, Heather, became concerned that her daughter hadn’t shown up for school. Ava’s parents weren’t legally divorced, but were living separately while separated. When Heather discovered that there was no answer at Wood’s home, she called the authorities. They found Ava dead from a gunshot wound and her father died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The tragic incident was later publicized to the community through an email from the Baldwinsville school district.
“It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I inform you of the tragic loss of Durgee Jr. High School 9th grade student Ava Wood. We are a close-knit school community and our hearts are broken by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with Ava’s family and friends during this extremely difficult time.”
Even more disheartening was that this was not an isolated incident. The outlet also reported that the family had domestic disputes and concerning rhetoric from Christopher Wood, leading many to wonder how this could have happened in the first place.
As it often is with these cases, there can be little resolution in such heartbreaking events. The only thing the public knows for sure is that Christopher demonstrated a pattern of concerning behavior. Before the event, there had been reports of stalking as well as harassing text messages. Two weeks before, the perpetrator purchased a shotgun which was used in the murder. No one can be quite certain where this escalation of behavior came from, only that he told his wife the night before the crime: “This is how it ends for us.” This true story is one of many that offers no solace.
Published: Aug 12, 2024 09:47 am