white terrorism strikes again: ‘alt reich nation’ member charged with the murder of black bowie state student

Originally reported as a random attack, the FBI is now investigating the fatal stabbing of Bowie State University student Richard Collins III by University of Maryland student Sean Christopher Urbanski as a racially motivated hate crime. The motivation shift comes after UofM Police Chief David Mitchell became aware of Urbanski’s presence in a Facebook group called “Alt Reich: Nation.” “Suffice it to say that [the Facebook group is] despicable. It shows extreme bias against women, Latinos, members of the Jewish faith, and especially African Americans,” Mitchell said.

According to witnesses, Collins—who was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army—and friends were near a UofM dorm building waiting for a late-night bus when the incident occurred. After realizing the bus had already stopped running, the group was waiting for an Uber when Urbanski approached them. Collins’ friends say Urbanski came up to them saying, “Step left, step left if you know what’s best for you.” According to the report documents, when Collin refused, Urbanski took out a knife with a 3-4 inch blade and stabbed them in the chest. While one friend ran to get help, the other waited with Collins until paramedics arrived.

Urbanski didn’t bother attempting to flee the scene and was found by police sitting at the bus stop just 50 feet away from the stabbing.

Richard Collins III was preparing to graduate from Bowie State University the following day.

By Erin White*, AFROPUNK contributor

Photo via Facebook

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.