A retired Arkansas police officer said he may have spotted the assailants who gunned down a Salvation Army major in front of his children on Christmas Eve, The North Little Rock Times reported.
The former sheriff’s patrol commander, who spoke to police on the condition of anonymity, said he was driving near the organization’s community center in North Little Rock minutes before Salvation Army Major Philip Wise was gunned down, according to the newspaper.
The retired officer, who provided police with a detailed description of the possible assailants, reported seeing two "suspicious" men dressed in black along with a third man dressed in red standing on a nearby corner.
Arkansas police have said two men accosted Wise and his children — ages, 4, 6 and 8 — at about 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve as the 40-year-old major was returning from driving home two bell ringers. One man reportedly pulled a gun, demanded money and then shot Wise.
Wise's wife, Cindy, also a major in the Salvation Army, was inside the center and called 911, but he died at the scene.
The suspects are described as two African-American males and are believed to be armed with handguns. Police are following up on leads, but are asking the public to help them by contacting them with any bit of information they may have.
Wise worked for the Salvation Army for 16 years and had been at the Little Rock location for 3 years.
"He was so important to that community," North Little Rock Police Department spokesman Sgt. Terry Kuykendall told FoxNews.com.
"This has been a tremendous blow to (them)."
Police said the suspects were last seen running on foot toward a government-funded housing community in the area.
Police are asking the public to contact them at (501) 758-1234 with any information that might help lead them to the suspects.
Click here to read more on this story from the The North Little Rock Times.
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