FERRIDAY — Ferriday Police are looking to determine a possible motive behind the placement of a fake pipe bomb outside a Florida Avenue residence Tuesday morning.

The dummy explosive held the neighborhood hostage for several hours while officers from six law enforcement agencies worked to dismantle what they believed may have been a dangerous device.

The suspected bomb was ultimately destroyed using a robot from the Louisiana State Police’s bomb squad.

Found at the scene of the device was a note that said, “I will kill as many as I can.”

While Ferriday Interim Police Chief Margaret Lawrence said Tuesday morning the police had a person of interest, Tuesday afternoon she said the department did not have a suspect in the case.

Ferriday police responded to the call of the suspected bomb at approximately 5 a.m., when a resident saw the device sitting on a vehicle on Florida Avenue.

The LSP bomb squad was called in to remove the device, which was destroyed shortly after 9 a.m. The bomb squad surrounded the device with sandbags and placed it against a tree behind St. Patrick’s Catholic Church before destroying it.

Lawrence said that even though two explosions were heard a few moments apart, the second blast was just the bomb squad making sure the suspected device was disabled.

Lawrence said the LSP team — which is assisting the FPD in its investigation — had gathered the pieces for evidence.

An LSP spokesman declined to make a statement, saying Ferriday is the lead investigative agency on the matter.

The state police have since searched the area around the site where the fake bomb was found for other similar devices, but none were found, Lawrence said.

In the hours before the bomb was destroyed, the residences in a one-block area around the scene were evacuated, and police blocked off access from the street.

Lawrence said the evacuation was easy and residents were cooperative.

“When you see a lot of blue lights, people are going to come out anyway,” she said.

The matter remains under investigation. What charges may arise from it should a suspect be identified have not yet been determined, Lawrence said.

The Vidalia Police Department, Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Tensas Parish Sheriff’s Office and Waterproof Police Department also responded to the scene.