A string of vandalisms across the city continued early Wednesday morning as the windows of three businesses along the north side of Clay Street were shot.

Police have increased patrols since 25 car windows were shattered, also with a BB gun, early Monday.

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. gave the police department carte blanche to curb the recent string of crimes.

“I want to make it unequivocally clear, that we’re going to beef up manpower in the police department, I don’t care how much it costs, I want it shut down,” Flaggs said.

“Resources will not be a problem,” Flaggs said. “We’ve got to do whatever it takes.”

“Residents believe that we’re not taking crime seriously,” he said. “People have to feel safe in this city.”

Tempered glass windows were shot and shattered at Miller Tire Mart, 1709 Clay St., and Auto Plus parts store, 1601 Clay St.

“It looked to be a BB gun,” Vicksburg police Capt. Sandra Williams said.

“They shot it one time, but it was safety glass and it shattered it when it hit,” said Robert Murphy, owner of Miller’s Tire Mart. The business had the shattered window covered with plywood midmorning Wednesday.

“It’s crazy. I hope they hurry up and find them,” Murphy said.

Armstrong said the department has stepped up patrols after the recent vandalisms

“After I got to work Monday morning and heard about what had happened Sunday night, I immediately put together a team,” Chief Walter Armstrong said. “We now have a team and have ramped it up and it will stay in place with increased patrols and manpower. We have some information and we’re checking on that intel.”

The window at Auto Plus shattered and collapsed, littering the sidewalk and floor of the business with broken glass. Other windows were shot but did not shatter, manger Jim Davidson said

“They took the time to shoot ever piece of glass in the front of my store,” Davidson said.

Davidson estimated it would cost about $500 to replace the window.

Davidson’s father built the store and ran it as a family business before Auto Plus bought out the operation. When the store was built, Clay Street was two lanes rather than four, so the storefront is closer to the street than many newer businesses along the city’s main east-west thoroughfare.

Glass in the building was replaced Wednesday, though Davison said he has considered walling in the front of the building to prevent further vandalism.

“I would think it was a semiautomatic BB pistol,” Davidson said of the weapon he believes was used to vandalize his store.

Plate glass windows at Lee’s Body Shop, 2417 Clay St., showed signs of being peppered with BBs, but the windows did not shatter.

“I’m going to glue them up,” owner Lee Barber said of the bullet holes.

Barber said his building is over 100 years old and was once home to car and equipment dealerships. It was also built when Clay Street was only two lanes and the glass windows of the former showroom that were shot Wednesday morning are separated from the street only by a sidewalk.

The windows of the business also were shot last summer, Barber said.

“It’s some young person,” Barber said. “I guarantee it.”

In addition to the three businesses, a window of a 1992 GMC was reported shot out at 6:40 a.m. Wednesday in the 2400 block of Washington St., Williams said. The malicious mischief is the 26th on 15 streets across Vicksburg this week.

Between 6:18 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, windows were reported shot out of 25 cars beginning in the Drummond Street area — Drummond, National, Markam, Polk and Urban Court.

After apparently leaving the Drummond Street area, the malicious mischief continued onto East Avenue, Edna Drive and Military Avenue and then along Eisenhower, and Enchanted Drive, Kings Row and Hillside Drive.

Burglary did not appear to be a motive. Nothing was reported missing from the vandalized cars, and no stock was missing from Auto Plus, despite the fact that merchandise was within arm’s length of the shattered window.

Anyone with information about the malicious mischief is encouraged to call Central Mississippi Crime Stoppers at 601-355-8477. Callers remain anonymous and do not have to testify in court.

Crime Stoppers will pay a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest of a felony suspect.