MELBOURNE, Fla. – Melbourne police on Monday said vandalism at a church that has been targeted three times in the past six months is being investigated as a hate crime.
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Vandals most recently struck the New Shiloh Christian Center at 3900 Sarno Road sometime in the last week. A worker discovered part of the church ransacked and found "SS. Charleston 2" spray-painted on a vehicle.
The vandals drove a pickup truck into a flooded loading dock, ransacked the bistro, flipped over a large vase, pulled down a portrait of the church's bishop and her husband and sprayed fire extinguishers.
"It makes you wonder, 'What next?'" said Bishop Jacquelyn Gordon, adding that the church already has a security team in place.
Melbourne Police Chief Steve Mimbs said he was disgusted by the vandalism.
Investigators said they believe a group of people are involved in the incidents.
Earlier this year, vandals set fire to a storage room at the predominantly African-American church and scrawled a swastika on a storage unit wall, leaving behind at least $5,000 worth of damages.
A second incident happened at the church's south Melbourne campus, with vandals leaving behind a spray-painted noose on a church van.
Melbourne police, who searched the building Sunday morning, said previously that the vandals were likely juveniles, although no arrests were made in either of the cases.
The vandalism comes weeks after the June 17 Charleston, South Carolina, massacre raised concerns about church security. Nine people, including the pastor, were slain at Emanuel AME following a bible study.
Church services, bible studies and a breakfast program continued at Shiloh despite the vandalism.
Prayers were also made for protection as the 11 a.m. service began.
"I asked the question of why this is happening to us, why here? But evidently being out here is bothering somebody. The Lord gave us this building and we're not going anywhere," Gordon said.
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