A Bowie State University student visiting the University of Maryland (U-Md.) was stabbed to death on Saturday, and the FBI is helping in the investigation to determine if the attack should be classified as a hate crime.
Authorities say Sean Christopher Urbanski, 22, who is a white U-Md. student stabbed 23-year-old Richard Collins III, who is a black Bowie State student, reports NBC Washington. Collins and two of his friends were waiting at a U-Md. shuttle bus stop near Montgomery Hall for a ride from Uber when they heard Urbanski screaming nearby.
RELATED: FBI Reports Increase in Hate Crimes in 2015
Several news sources are reporting that as Urbanski approached the group, he said “Step left, step left if you know what’s best for you,” and Collins said, “no.” Urbanski then pulled out a knife and stabbed Collins once in the chest. Collins later died at a local hospital as a result of his injuries.
After the attack, police found Urbanski sitting at a bus stop 50 feet from Collins. Witnesses say he appeared to be intoxicated and incoherent. The attack was captured on a security camera, reports the Baltimore Sun. Authorities say the attack was unprovoked.
Collins was scheduled to graduate with a degree in criminal justice on Tuesday and was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
The attack is being investigated as a hate crime because Urbanski belongs to the Facebook group “Alt Reich: Nation,” where members post disparaging remarks about African Americans, women, Latinos and Jews.
U-Md. and other schools in the Washington area have experienced other racially charged incidents recently, reports the Washington Post. There have been at least three instances where white supremacist fliers were found on the College Park campus, claiming that “America is a white nation,” and urging readers to report “any and all illegal aliens.”
Urbanski has been charged with first- and second-degree murder and first-degree assault. He is being held without bail.
U-Md. And Prince George’s County authorities have stepped up their patrols on and off campus.
Photo via Facebook.
