Students arriving at Vicksburg Junior High School this morning found messages, including obscenities, spray-painted all over the back of the building and on portable classrooms. Walking past, most seemed to ignore the graffiti, which appeared as the second week of the school year began.

Though one of the messages referred to the so-called “K3” gang, officials were hesitant to say the vandalism was gang-related or guess who might be responsible.

“Honestly and truthfully, I really don’t know,” said De-wayne Sims, school resource and law enforcement officer for the Vicksburg Warren School District. “Officer (Randy) Naylor will definitely make a couple of contacts, and I will get in touch with a couple of my sources. With the help of the police department and myself, we will definitely try to track that down.”

Naylor, school resource officer, said, “We’re going to get them.”

Three teens accused of the March 15 shooting death of Antonio Turner were believed by Vicksburg police to be in a gang called K3. Former Police Chief Tommy Moffett said when the three were arrested that K3 members range in age from 13 to 23, and it was not known how many identify themselves as members.

Sims said there is no indication that any gang has formally infiltrated or been active at the junior high school.

At least six Vicksburg police patrol cars responded to VJHS this morning, with investigators taking fingerprints from streaks left in the paint and looking for other evidence.

The vandalism at the Baldwin Ferry Road school discovered this morning was similar to but much more extensive than graffiti found at Vicksburg High School Monday. Sims said the same vandals could be responsible for both, but there was not enough evidence yet to know. “They could be high school students, or junior high or even adults,” he said.

Vicksburg Junior High is on Baldwin Ferry Road and was first built as Rosa A. Temple High. Vicksburg High is miles away at City Park.

Minor vandalism at the school is not new, said VJHS Principal Michael Winters, but the extent of painting found this morning is rare.

Vicksburg High School Principal Derrick Reed could not be reached, but Sims said the vandalism there occurred some time over the weekend.

“It will cost several thousand dollars before all is said and done,” Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent Dr. James Price said. “With all the work that we have to do, we just have to stop and deal with this.”

Vicksburg Junior High has about 675 students, said Winters, who is in his fourth year heading the school. He said last week’s school opening had been “great — one of the smoothest first days I’ve had as principal.” The vandalism left him shaking his head, and grasping for words. “I’m just speechless,” he said.

In 1998, vandals destroyed computers and set at least two fires at Vicksburg High School, causing a million dollars worth of damage. Classes were canceled for more than a week, the main office was destroyed, and fire and water damaged much of the three-story building. No arrests were made in the case.

The current spate of vandalism is much less extensive, but Winters and Sims said they will work to find the culprits. People living near the school as well as students will be questioned.

“Officer Naylor will spend the day looking for possible leads,” Winters said. “Junior high school children, when there are hundreds of them together, will talk. I’ll also ask teachers and staff to be aware of any students that seem to have something they want to share about it.”

By 8 a.m., school grounds-keepers had already begun the cleanup, spraying the buildings with pressure washers. Paint was washing away but leaving traces that would require the buildings to be painted.

“I think that we will work very hard with the police to find who did this, and then we are going to do all we can to prosecute them,” Price said.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com