Three 19-year-old freshmen at the University of Mississippi are wanted for questioning in the racially charged vandalism that took place last weekend at the school, according to University Police Chief Calvin Sellers.
According to a statement released Friday from the university, Sellers and investigators had gathered enough evidence by Wednesday night to bring charges against two of the students.
Sellers said the names of the three students, all white males, had figured prominently in the investigation into the defacement of a campus statue honoring James Meredith, the school’s first black student. A noose and a flag showing the “stars and bars” of the Confederacy were draped over the statue early Sunday morning.
University police were stymied in their efforts to question the three students on Thursday night when attorneys representing the young men declined to make them available without a search warrant.
Sellers said he believes there’s enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the three suspects and vowed to maintain cooperation with state and federal authorities. The FBI announced on Tuesday that it had joined the inquiry.
Sellers was not available when TPM reached out for comment on Friday.
