By Jeremy Peppas
Stephens Media
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Authorities today reported scant new information about the Christmas Eve shooting death of a Salvation Army supervisor.
Private donations pushed a reward fund to $10,000 in the slaying of Maj. Philip Wise, 40, who was gunned down in the parking lot of Salvation Army headquarters here Thursday afternoon as he dropped off the day’s donations.
Wise’s three children, age 4, 6 and 8, were with him when the shooting occurred and told police two black men approached them before the shooting.
At a news conference today, Police Chief Danny Bradley said detectives had worked through the weekend but had identified no suspects in the homicide that police said occurred during an apparent robbery.
Police have not given a description of the suspects other than both were in their late teens or early 20s. Police also have declined to say how much, if any, money was stolen.
Bradley announced that a crimestoppers reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the killing had grown from the original $1,000 to $10,000 through private donations.
Joining Bradley at the news conference, Mayor Patrick Hays and city pastors called upon residents of the area to report to police any information they have about the shooting.
“This is a wake-up call to our community,” said the Rev. O.C. Jones, pastor of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.
“Someone out here in the community knows these young men. “We are asking you to turn these young men in, to make our streets safer,” added the Rev. Benny Johnson, founder of the community group Stop the Violence.
Salvation Army Maj. Harvey Johnson said two funds have been established for the Wise family.
One is being administered by the Salvation Army and would be used to fund scholarships for music camp, Johnson said. Wise was an accomplished tuba player and used music in his ministry efforts.
A Family Memorial Fund has been established at Centennial Bank and donations may be made at any Centennial branch, he said.
Wise, who lived in Maumelle, was a 15-year veteran of the Salvation Army and served as supervisor of the North Little Rock, Maumelle and Sherwood operations the past three years.
