Screeshot via Twitter

A graduation gown draped over a chair at a Bowie State University commencement ceremony today, honoring Richard Collins III—a black student who was fatally stabbed early Saturday morning after visiting friends on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus.

Collins, who was commissioned last week as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was supposed to walk across the stage to the sounds of cheers from family, friends and peers. Instead, his loved ones have spent the past several days mourning his death, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Last night, hundreds of students gathered for a vigil.

Lt. Col. Joel Thomas, head of Bowie State’s ROTC unit, opened the ceremony, calling Collins trustworthy and honest, according to UMD’s Diamondback Newspaper. “You could count on him. He was dependable,” Thomas said. “So as I remember Richard, I’m going to remember his character first and foremost.”

Collins’ life came to a tragic and early end on Saturday morning.

UMD police say they were notified around 3 a.m. that someone had been assaulted with a knife on campus. They found Collins on the sidewalk suffering from serious injuries and provided medical assistance until paramedics arrived. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Prince George’s County Police stopped a suspect, Sean Christopher Urbanski, on Regents Drive near Montgomery Hall, where Collins was found. Officials say they arrested Urbanski after he was identified by witnesses.

Police charged Urbanski on Sunday with first degree murder, second degree murder, and first degree assault.

According to charging documents obtained by The Washington Post, Collins and his friends were waiting for an Uber when they heard Urbanski screaming as he approached the group. “Step left, step left if you know what’s best for you,” Urbanski told Collins, according to the documents. After Collins said “no,” Urbanski stabbed him in the chest.

Local police and FBI officials are investigating the case, and say that Urbanski, a 22-year-old white student at UMD, was a member of a Facebook group that posts racist content.

During a court hearing on Monday, Urbanski’s attorney told the judge that alcohol and substance abuse “may have played a significant role in all of this,” The Washington Post reports. Urbanski is being held in jail without bond.

Presidents of both Bowie State University and the University of Maryland have issued statements with their condolences.

“The horrific assault that took the life of a young man on our campus on Saturday morning has shocked, saddened, and angered our community,” said University of Maryland President Wallace Loh. The College Park campus has been the site of several racist incidents over the past year, including two incidents of white nationalist flyers and the discovery of a noose hanging in the kitchen of a fraternity house

At Bowie State today, Collins’ family sat in the front row at his graduation ceremony today. The entire auditorium honored him with a moment of silence.

Speaking to NBC4 yesterday, Collins’ father remembered his son’s “loving and giving heart.”

“He would go out of his way, sometimes to my chagrin, to try and help others,” said Richard Collins Jr. “But you want to try to encourage that in your children.”

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