A man has been arrested in Perry County on murder and grand theft auto charges after a verbal altercation in Petal led to a gunshot fatality.
Kent Banks with the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office said 30-year-old Kenneth Hogan Smith allegedly shot and killed “Sammy” Bryant, also 30, in the 100 block of Temple Road during the late evening hours of Dec. 22. The incident took place after a heated verbal exchange between the two men, who were known to each other prior to the shooting.
“Investigators are still working to determine the exact context of conversation that led to this unfortunate outcome,” Banks said in a statement.
Smith allegedly left the scene, stole a vehicle nearby, and drove to Richton, where he was taken into custody without incident a few hours later. He was arrested by members of the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, the Perry County Sheriff’s Office, and the 12thNET Narcotics Task Force.
Smith was booked into the Forrest County Correctional Facility and charged with murder and grand theft auto.
