The FBI is investigating the killing of a visiting student by a University of Maryland student as a possible hate crime, authorities say.
University of Maryland student Sean Christopher Urbanski, 22, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder as well as first-degree assault in the death of Richard Collins III.
University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell said at a press conference Sunday that he sought the FBI’s help after finding that Urbanski is a member of a Facebook group called “Alt Reich: Nation,” where members post racially charged material. Urbanski is white and Collins was black.
“Suffice it to say that it’s despicable. It shows extreme bias against women, Latinos, members of the Jewish faith and especially African Americans,” Mitchell said.
“We are here to evaluate that as an ongoing concern with respect to whether or not this was a hate crime,” said Gordon Johnson, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Baltimore.
Family members told News4 Washington that 23-year-old Collins was a senior at nearby Bowie State University and was set to graduate on Tuesday. He was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Finish reading the story at NBC4 Washington.
