On Sunday morning, May 21, black student Richard Wilbour Collins was stabbed to death by a white student at the University of Maryland. Collins was visiting the campus, accompanied by his two friends, when he was approached by the attacker, Sean Urbanski. According to witnesses, Urbanski yelled at the group “Step left, step left if you know what’s good for you”. When Collins refused Urbanski then stabbed him in the chest. Collins’ friends ran and called 911, the police found serious injuries on Collins body and he died in the hospital.
Suspect Sean Urbanski is a member of a white supremacy Facebook group called Alt-Reich. The group has shown aggression towards women, Latinx, Jewish and especially African Americans. Urbanski’s involvement in this group has been a driving force in classifying the stabbing as racially-fueled. Urbanski has been charged with first and second-degree murder, as well as first-degree assault in the stabbing.
The University of Maryland president President Wallace D. Loh issued a statement Sunday saying the murder has “shocked, saddened and angered our community and beyond”. This is not the first hate crime to occur at the University of Maryland, other incidents such as “Deport Dreamers” graffiti and a noose found at fraternity house Phi Kappa Tau have also been reported.
University of Maryland students gathered to hold a candlelight vigil at the bus shelter where the stabbing occurred. Mitchell, the police chief, has said this attack has spread fear and insecurity across the campus.
“If I’m a person of color I would certainly look at this as something that could happen to me. In fact, I know on Facebook our students are saying that,” said Mitchell.
Attacks such as these are always tragic but especially when they continue to take away young black lives. Collins had a future ahead of him which was taken away with this fatal attack. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army days before the attack and scheduled to graduate from Bowie State University this Tuesday.
