We speak of the season of peace, of goodwill toward men.

And then watch glumly as the murder count continues to rise.

You would think that at a minimum the mindless violence that plagues so many of our neighborhoods would take a break on Christmas Eve.
Sadly, you’d be wrong.

Witness what happened this week in Upper Darby. Gregory Cunningham was trying to make a living. The cab driver was nearing the end of his shift. He took one last call.

It would be his last.

Police believe someone placed the call to County Cab Co. as a ruse for a robbery.
Cunningham dutifully answered the call. That’s how he made his living. But when he picked up the fare in the 7400 block of Rogers Avenue around 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve, something decidedly un-Christmas-like happened.

Police say the cabbie was shot in the back of the head. His cab was found nearby. His body was found dumped in a walkway at the Park Lane East Apartments. Not only that, but the person used the cab’s radio to boast about the shooting.

An acquaintance of Cunningham said he “honestly loved his job” and that he did not believe he was in danger working the late shift.

Police now have a “person of interest” they want to talk to in connection with the case. They have charged Ramir Andre Steve, 19, with gun charges after they found a weapon in his home. Steve has not been charged in connection with Cunningham’s death.

Here’s hoping police are able to bring Cunningham’s killer to justice. The sooner the better.

Maybe next year we will embrace the too-often hollow words we mouth at this time of year: Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

It was a decidedly evil element that visited Gregory Cunningham as he drove his cab on Christmas Eve.

And further proof of how far we have to put meaning to the words we so casually fire off every year at this time.