Maj. Percy Knight, the public information officer with the Bogalusa Police Department, said that the BPD is currently investigating a homicide that reportedly took place Saturday in the city of Bogalusa.

Knight said that on Saturday at 6:23 p.m., the BPD received a call in reference to someone being shot on Bund Street, near Sullivan Drive. Upon arrival of the officers, the victim and suspects were reportedly no longer on the scene.

Knight said that a short time later, the BPD received a call from someone who witnessed a black man discard a black object in a trash can located in the 1700 block of St. Louis Street. Knight said that officers went to the location and searched the trash can. They recovered a black checkbook in the trash can, which reportedly belonged to the wife of the victim and which had a Lumberton, Miss., address on it.

Knight said that the BPD received a call from the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department, in reference to a 911 call about someone being shot near Lumberton. The PRCSD had interviewed a witness — the wife of the victim.

Knight said that the witness stated that she and her husband came to Bogalusa to collect a debt from someone that owed them money. While on Bund Street, a black male reportedly came up to their vehicle and took a black checkbook containing a small amount of cash from inside the vehicle. The witness reportedly told the PRCSD that the suspect left the scene running with the checkbook, and the victim got out of the vehicle to give chase.

The witness stated that the suspect then fired a small caliber gun at the victim, striking him three times — once in the abdomen, once in the thigh and once in the foot. According to the witness, the victim got back in the vehicle and told her that he would be all right, and to drive him home. Somewhere between Bogalusa and Lumberton, the victim died in the vehicle from the gunshot wounds, Knight said.

The victim was identified as Jon Kelly Smith, 54, of Lumberton.

The investigation is still on going between the BPD and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department. As of Monday morning, Knight said there were no suspects identified.