Twenty-two year old University of Maryland senior Sean Urbanski emerged from a wooded area, screamed at the group, and proceeded to stab Collins, who later died of his wounds.

[1] Collins, who was the 3rd generation of his family to join the military, attended Annapolis Area Christian School, where he played soccer and lacrosse.

[13] Solomon Comissiong, president of the university's Black Faculty and Staff Association, said he was "unsettled" by the ruling, and believed there was a correlation between Urbanski's racist online community and his actions.

[14] The prosecution, as before, largely rested their case on surveillance video and witness testimony that showed Urbanski approaching Collins with a knife drawn, and his apparently calm and collected behavior afterward.

[18] Anthony Brown, one of Maryland's House representatives, introduced a resolution (co-signed by 55 other congresspersons) a few days later calling the murder "racially motivated.

"[1][19] University president Wallace Loh faced criticism after Collins' murder due to a perceived failure to admit accountability for the incident.

Loh also faced student criticism in the years following the incident for inaction in memorializing Collins and for remarks made at a commemorative panel.

Collins' family and the Prince George's County State Attorney advocated for the changes due to the dropping of Urbanski's hate charge and a lack of any convictions under the statute in 2019.

[25] On May 16, 2022, the memorial plaza was dedicated to Collins, with many speakers discussing the urgent need to end white supremacy which had also led to the murder of ten African Americans just two days prior in the Buffalo mass shooting.