{
  "id": "2017-05-20-university-of-maryland-hate-crime-stabbing",
  "slug": "university-of-maryland-hate-crime-stabbing-2017-05-20",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Maryland, College Park",
    "shortName": "UMD",
    "state": "MD",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UMD Alerts",
    "alertPlatform": "Everbridge",
    "enrollment": 40500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2017-05-20",
    "type": "stabbing",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Visiting student fatally stabbed at a campus bus stop; attacker convicted of murder",
    "headlinePublic": "Visiting student fatally stabbed at a campus bus stop; attacker convicted of murder",
    "summary": "In the early hours of May 20, 2017, Bowie State University senior Richard Collins III was [fatally stabbed at a bus stop near Montgomery Hall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Richard_Collins_III) on the University of Maryland campus while waiting for an Uber with friends. The attacker, UMD student Sean Urbanski, was a member of a racist Facebook group called 'Alt-Reich: Nation.' Urbanski was [convicted of first-degree murder in December 2019](https://www.wmar2news.com/news/state/sean-urbanski-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-for-killing-lt-richard-collins-at-umd) and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.",
    "outcome": "Richard Collins III, 23, a newly commissioned Army 2nd Lieutenant and Bowie State University senior, was killed. Sean Urbanski, 22, was arrested at the scene and later convicted of first-degree murder. A hate crime charge was dismissed by the judge, who ruled prosecutors had not proven race was the sole motive. Urbanski was sentenced to life with possibility of parole in January 2021.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 1,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2017-05-20T03:41:00-04:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from The Diamondback (UMD student newspaper) reporting; the Diamondback confirmed the alert was sent at 3:41 AM EDT and described a 'cutting incident near Montgomery Hall'; the exact full alert text is not publicly archived",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning of May 20, 2017",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "INCIDENT:  Homicide\n\nOCCURRED: May 20, 2017/ Approximately 3:03 a.m.\n\nLOCATION: Regents Drive near Montgomery Hall Bus Stop\n\nUMPD CASE #: 2017-31027\n\nBRIEF DETAILS:\n\nOn Saturday, May 20, 2017, at approximately 3:05 a.m., the University of Maryland Police Department was notified of an assault with a knife on Regents Drive near Montgomery Hall. Officers immediately responded to the area and located the male victim on the sidewalk suffering from serious injuries. Officers provided medical assistance until paramedics arrived. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased by medical staff.\n\nPrince George’s County Police stopped an individual on Regents Drive near Montgomery Hall. Witnesses positively identified the individual as the male who assaulted the victim. The male was taken into UMPD custody where charges are pending.\n\nThe University of Maryland Police Department, Criminal Investigations Unit is conducting an investigation. Individuals with any information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact police at 301-405-3555. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous may email http://www.umpd.umd.edu/contact/anonymous_tip.cfm .\n\nWhen available for release, additional information, may be obtained by accessing the \"UMD Safety Notice\" portion of our web site: http://universityofmarylandpolice.com/stats/safety_notices.cfm and http://umpdnews.umd.edu/home\n\nSafety Tips:\n\nThe University of Maryland Police Department provides an escort service for anyone who feels unsafe when walking on or near campus. If you would like an escort, please call to request one at 301-405-3555 (off campus) / 53555 (on campus). You may also use a blue light emergency phone to call for an escort. The police escort service is available to community members at all times.\n\nStay alert and attuned to people and circumstances around you.\n\nTrust your instincts. They are a natural gift that tells you when something is wrong.\n\nIf you observe suspicious activity or behavior, contact the police immediately by calling #3333 from a mobile phone or 301-405-3333.\n\nSee Something, Say Something!\n\nBe Smart, Be Safe!\n\nSafety Resources:\n\nUniversity of Maryland Police Department\n\nEmergency Number 301-405-3333/ #3333 from a mobile phone/ 911\n\nUMD Guardian (Mobile Campus Safety App)\n\numpdnews.umd.edu/umdguardian\n\nPrince George's County Police Department\n\n911 from mobile phone / 301-352-1200 (non-emergency) / 911\n\nUMD Police Walking Escort\n\nNon-Emergency: 301-405-3555\n\nNITE Ride\n\n301-314-6483\n\nhttp://www.transportation.umd.edu/niteride.html\n\nHelp Center (Peer Counseling & Crisis Intervention)\n\n301-314-4357\n\nhttp://www.umdhelpcenter.org/\n\nCounseling Center\n\n301-314-7651\n\nhttp://counseling.umd.edu/\n\nCARE (Confidential Services for Sexual Assault/Harassment/Rape)\n\n301-741-3442\n\nhttp://www.health.umd.edu/care\n\nHealth Center\n\n301-314-8180\n\nhttp://www.health.umd.edu/\n\nOffice of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct\n\nTitleIXcoordinator@umd.edu\n\nocrsm.umd.edu\n\nUMD Alerts\n\nhttps://alert.umd.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "UMD Alerts Safety Notice 05/20/17",
      "annotations": [
        "Corrected 2026-07-19 against live UMD Alerts Safety Notice page for full safety tips and resource footer.",
        "Verbatim UMD Safety Notice (Clery-style community notice) from alert.umd.edu for the May 20, 2017 Montgomery Hall homicide.",
        "Replaces reconstructed 'UMD ALERT UPDATE' email that did not match any archived official text.",
        "Notice reports victim pronounced deceased and suspect in UMPD custody; safety tips section included as published."
      ],
      "characterCount": 3020,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.umd.edu/alerts/umd-safety-notice-052017"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Saturday, May 20, 2017 EDT; same-day community statement from UMD President Wallace Loh",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "I am writing to all of you today with a heavy heart. This morning, shortly after 3 a.m., a male student from Bowie State University was assaulted with a knife on Regents Drive near Montgomery Hall. He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.\n\nWords cannot express my deep anguish over this horrific tragedy. My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, and to the entire Bowie State community.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/23/arrest-u-maryland-student-stabbing-death-bowie-state-student-shakes-both-campuses",
      "sourceDescription": "UMD President Wallace Loh's same-day community statement, quoted in Inside Higher Ed coverage",
      "annotations": [
        "Loh issued the statement the same morning as the stabbing, unusually fast presidential engagement reflecting the fatal outcome",
        "Loh identified the victim only as 'a male student from Bowie State University' while next-of-kin notification was underway; Collins's name was released later that afternoon",
        "The statement deliberately framed the death as 'this horrific tragedy' but did not yet characterize it as a hate crime; that designation was added by Prince George's County police the following day after Urbanski's social-media history was reviewed"
      ],
      "characterCount": 441
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Sunday, May 21, 2017 EDT; second community statement from UMD President Wallace Loh",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "The horrific assault that took the life of a young man on our campus on Saturday morning has shocked, saddened, and angered our community and beyond.\n\nHowever, increased police security is not sufficient. We must all do more to nurture a climate -- on campus and beyond -- where we stand against hate, we fight against hate crimes and we reaffirm the values that define us a university and as a democracy.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/23/arrest-u-maryland-student-stabbing-death-bowie-state-student-shakes-both-campuses",
      "sourceDescription": "UMD President Wallace Loh's follow-up community statement, May 21, 2017, quoted in Inside Higher Ed coverage",
      "annotations": [
        "By May 21, 2017, Loh shifted from condolence to explicit hate-crime framing: 'we fight against hate crimes' was the institutional commitment that anchored UMD's later memorial-plaza dedication",
        "The phrase 'increased police security is not sufficient' acknowledged community criticism that adding patrols would not address the underlying climate concern",
        "The trailing line 'as a university and as a democracy' folded the campus response into the post-2016-election national conversation about hate crimes, a register Loh used repeatedly in 2017"
      ],
      "characterCount": 405
    }
  ],
  "context": "On May 20, 2017, just days before commencement ceremonies at both universities, Richard Collins III, a 23-year-old Bowie State University senior and newly commissioned U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant, was [fatally stabbed while waiting for an Uber at a bus stop near Montgomery Hall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Richard_Collins_III) on the University of Maryland, College Park campus. Around 3:00 AM EDT, while Collins stood with two friends (a white man and an Asian woman), Sean Urbanski, a 22-year-old UMD student, emerged from a nearby wooded area and said, 'Step left, step left if you know what's good for you.' When Collins refused, [Urbanski stabbed him in the chest](https://dbknews.com/2019/12/17/umd-richard-collins-sean-urbanski-stabbing-trial-landing-page/). Collins was transported to Prince George's Hospital Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead. Urbanski was apprehended sitting on a bench near the scene. Investigators discovered that Urbanski was a member of a [Facebook group called 'Alt-Reich: Nation'](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/university-maryland-fatal-stabbing-investigated-fbi-possible-hate-crime-n763041), which contained racist and white supremacist posts, and the FBI investigated the killing as a possible hate crime. In December 2019, a jury convicted Urbanski of first-degree murder, though the judge dismissed the hate crime enhancement, ruling prosecutors had not proven that race was the sole motive. Urbanski was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in January 2021. The University of Maryland later [dedicated a memorial plaza to Collins](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/03/richard-collins-memorial-umd/) on campus.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The victim was a visiting student from a nearby HBCU, raising questions about how campuses protect visitors as well as enrolled students",
    "The suspect's membership in a white supremacist Facebook group was central to the investigation but ultimately insufficient for a hate crime conviction",
    "The incident occurred just before graduation ceremonies at both universities, compounding the emotional impact on both communities",
    "UMD subsequently dedicated a memorial plaza to Collins on campus and implemented enhanced safety measures"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UMD Safety Notice 05/20/17 (Homicide) — UMD Alerts",
      "url": "https://alert.umd.edu/alerts/umd-safety-notice-052017",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Murder of Richard Collins III (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Richard_Collins_III",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "A killing on campus: Following the trial for ex-UMD student accused of stabbing Richard Collins (The Diamondback)",
      "url": "https://dbknews.com/2019/12/17/umd-richard-collins-sean-urbanski-stabbing-trial-landing-page/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "University of Maryland Fatal Stabbing Investigated by FBI as Possible Hate Crime (NBC News)",
      "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/university-maryland-fatal-stabbing-investigated-fbi-possible-hate-crime-n763041",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Arrest of U of Maryland student in stabbing death of Bowie State student shakes both campuses (Inside Higher Ed)",
      "url": "https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/23/arrest-u-maryland-student-stabbing-death-bowie-state-student-shakes-both-campuses",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UMD to start construction on Lt. Richard Collins III memorial (Washington Post)",
      "url": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/03/richard-collins-memorial-umd/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Sean Urbanski guilty of first degree murder for killing Lt. Richard Collins at UMD (WMAR-2 News)",
      "url": "https://www.wmar2news.com/news/state/sean-urbanski-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-for-killing-lt-richard-collins-at-umd",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "stabbing",
    "hate-crime",
    "fatal",
    "maryland",
    "public-r1",
    "hbcu-student-victim",
    "white-supremacist",
    "memorial"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-02",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-19",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}