Mayhem struck Southern University’s A.W. Mumford Stadium Thursday as vandals destroyed a women’s restroom while damaging one of the stadium’s old locker rooms and another adjacent restroom.
The vandals’ handiwork is present on both sides of the stadium, just past some of the stadium’s main entrances.
“The number one thing is we are investigating this,” said Southern University Police Chief Michael Morris. “We have virgin fingerprints, which means they haven’t been contaminated.”
SUPD officials estimate damage to be in the thousands. Surveillance videos of the stadium and in the general vicinity are under review.
“It might give us a lead of who went into the (specific) area of the stadium.” Morris said.
Due to the pending investigation, much has yet to be explained but it is clear that the destruction has effected more than Southern University’s football team, students, faculty and staff.
“It hurts the workers out here more than anybody because we worked the past year to make this a nice place for the Southern University football team,” said Chris Kelehan, an electrician for Ernest P. Breaux Electrical Inc., “and it’s a shame that somebody came in overnight and took it away, for the fans and everybody who plays.”
Kelehan expressed his remorse for the student-athletes of the football program.
”You know, these kids worked hard their whole life to be able to come to college and to be able to play football, for somebody to come in and destroy it overnight, it’s a shame,” he said. “It really is.”
As the Jaguars home game against Tennessee State Saturday approaches, it is unclear if the vandalized restrooms will be open to the public.
If anyone has important information regarding the case, contact the SUPD at 771.2770.