The Selma Police Department is investigating a homicide after a 51-year-old man was found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest on Mechanic Street early Thursday morning.

Dallas County Coroner Alan Dailey identified the man as Charles Fitzgerald Simpson.

According to Lt. Curtis Muhannad with the SPD, the body was found around 5:45 a.m. Thursday.

“We responded to the intersection of Alabama Avenue and Mechanic Street in reference to a black male lying on the sidewalk,” Muhannad said. “When officers arrived there they found a black male in his 50s that was deceased.”

Muhannad said a passerby called the police after they saw the 51-year-old lying on the sidewalk.

“They stopped to check on him to see if he was okay, and they saw that he appeared to be deceased,” Muhannad said. “They notified law enforcement officers, and then we arrived on the scene.”

Muhannad said it appears the victim died from a gunshot wound, but they cannot say for sure until an autopsy is performed.

“It appeared he may have died from a gunshot wound to his upper left torso near his heart, but we’re not sure if that was the exact cause of death. We do believe he has been shot,” Muhannad said. “There is a possibility that he was shot right there with a smaller caliber weapon, and he could have possibly died from the gunshot wound or a heart attack. We don’t know exactly what occurred.”

Muhannad said the coroner’s officer arranged for the body to be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

Muhannad said investigators are still combing the scene to determine a timeline of what happened.

“Right now, we are trying to track down any leads in the case. It may have been who the victim was with earlier,” Muhannad said. “We’re trying to canvas the area to see if there were any witnesses and anybody that may have seen the victim with anyone. We’re just trying to track down possible suspects in the case.”

Muhannad said investigators believe the Simpson was shot sometime between midnight and the time his body was found.

“We believe there is a possibility of the location where we found him may have been the crime scene, but there was not a lot of evidence or blood on the scene,” Muhannad said. “We’re still canvasing the area.”

The police department urges anyone with information to come forward.

“If there is anyone that has any information concerning this crime, please notify the Selma Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 874-2125 or they can notify Crime Stoppers at 874-2588,” Muhannad said.