He was an active parishioner at St. Bernadette's Roman Catholic Church in Springfield, VA, and was responsible for coordinating the altar servers.

[citation needed] A 35-year-old Lebanese man, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, was accused of shooting and killing Ray outside his Paris apartment on the morning of 18 January 1982.

Ray was shot in the head at point-blank range at about 9 AM as he was walking to his car, which was parked about 100 yards from his apartment.

The earliest reports indicated that a lone armed man shot Ray at close range in the head with a pistol.

Our hearts go out to his family in their bereavement, and the wanton act of his murderers reinforces our determination to stamp out international terrorism and prevent similar tragedies in the future.