What school officials called the largest case of vandalism in the history of Holy Innocents School in Long Beach with thousands of dollars of damage was under investigation Tuesday.
A life-size Virgin Mary statue that has been at the school since it opened in 1958 was decapitated and vandals ripped the church tabernacle — a fixed, locked box that holds the Eucharist — from the sanctuary and threw it to the ground, Tony Tripp, the Catholic school’s director of advancement told the Press-Telegram on Monday.
It appeared that individuals tried to pry open the sanctuary doors but could not get inside, Tripp told the Press-Telegram.
Several items, such as the sound system, appeared to be positioned by the door as if the alleged perpetrators were planning to steal the equipment before fleeing, Tripp told the Press-Telegram.
He added that police told school officials that it seemed as if a large group had entered the school hall, where some people wanted to steal from the campus, and others were set on a mission to destroy property.
School staff, along with Tripp, reported the vandalism at about 7:20 a.m. on Monday, he told the Press-Telegram.
The Press-Telegram reported that police had collected blood samples, fingerprints, shoe prints and other evidence, citing information from Tripp.
The desecrated tabernacle was removed by a priest before school officials contacted parents to assist with organizing and determining what items were destroyed or stolen, Tripp told the Press-Telegram.