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Father of Slain Student in Shock, Richard Colliins Remembered

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - The father of a black student slain while visiting a neighboring university says he's too consumed by shock to fully grasp the implications of the "horrific and senseless act."

Richard Collins Jr. tells WRC-TV that he's "in no place to feel very many emotions beyond sadness and just (a) deep sense of personal loss." Collins describes his son, Richard Collins III, as a competitor with "a loving and giving heart."

Police and the FBI are investigating the fatal stabbing of the younger Collins, a Bowie State University student visiting the University of Maryland, as a possible hate crime. Police say the suspect, Sean Urbanski, reportedly became a member of a racist Facebook group several months ago. 

Collins had just been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and would have graduated Tuesday.

The elder Collins says his son "would go out of his way, sometimes to my chagrin, to go and help others, but you want to try to encourage that in your children."

Collins says he doesn't blame either university, both of which he said have rallied to support him and his family.

Black Student Union

The University of Maryland's Black Student Union says slaying isn't the first incident to expose "escalating racial tensions" at the school.

In a statement, the student group said Monday that the slaying of Richard Collins III, a Bowie State University student set to graduate Tuesday, was clearly racially motivated. The group says the administration enabled the suspect with its "consistent dismissal of blatant hate speech and race-biased crimes" that threaten marginalized students.

The group says the university must do more than have a dialogue. It says it is "imperative to condemn the thoughts and behaviors associated with hate speech because of its undoubted ability to manifest as racist violence."

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mug shot
Sean Urbanski

The slaying is being investigated by the FBI as a possible hate crime. Urbanski, who is white, is charged with first- and second-degree murder and first-degree assault and is being held without bond. Prosecutors are urging patience as authorities carry out their investigation.

Remembered

University of Maryland officials are honoring the Bowie State University student with a moment of reflection at the school's chapel garden.

In a message to the campus community Monday, the university announced that a moment of reflection will be held Wednesday. It went on to say that community is invited to "stand in solidarity with his family, friends and the entire Bowie State University community" in a moment of reflection at the Garden of Reflection and Remembrance at the Memorial Chapel.

Last night hundreds celebrated the life of the Bowie State University student.

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creative commons

Classmates, friends and family filled a campus auditorium to share warm memories of 23-year-old Richard Collins III.

Collins' fellow ROTC members remembered him as "Mr. Handsome and Wealthy," as he jokingly would call himself.

Yasmeen Jordan, the university's senior class president, said it was a beautiful sight to see so many people gathered together to honor Collins' memory.

Friends say was smart, funny and courageous.

After sharing memories, a candlelight vigil was held outside where participants released balloons.
Jordan says it will be bitter sweet for Bowie State seniors to graduate Tuesday morning at the University of Maryland, College Park, where Collins was stabbed to death early Saturday.

Dismissal

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Anne Arundel County Police Badge

A civilian police employee in Maryland has been suspended over what police call an "extremely insensitive" response to a social media comment about the Collins slaying.

Anne Arundel County police announced in a statement that Welby Burgone was suspended hours after officials became aware Monday of his Facebook comment that apparently made a joke in response to a post praising the stabbing suspect.  Police say the comment appeared to be racially motivated.

Police say Burgone, a former police academy recruit, is assigned to the department's communications section.

The Capitalreports that Burgone attended Severna Park High School with Sean Urbanski, the white University of Maryland student charged in the fatal stabbing of Bowie State University student Richard Collins III. The slaying at the university in neighboring Prince George's County is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Chief Timothy Altomare calls Burgone's actions "a betrayal" of the department's values. He says any employee "who espouses or supports hateful or racist ideology will be held accountable."

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.