An UMass Dartmouth football player has been killed in a stabbing in Providence, Rhode Island, and a fellow student has been arrested and charged with murder.
Marvins Antoine, an 18-year-old freshman running back, died after being stabbed in the chest during an incident in the early hours of Saturday. A second player, 19-year-old freshman defensive back Kensley Macean, was also injured.
Police said the two men were attacked after an altercation at the Mezzo Lounge nightclub. The confrontation moved across the road to the car park of a Wendy’s restaurant at about midnight, where the stabbings took place.
Antoine was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Macean was treated for wounds to his head, neck and left arm, which police described as non-life-threatening.
Providence police chief Oscar Perez said Chukuwnonoso Uzoma Eze, 19, had been arrested on the UMass Dartmouth campus. He was being held by campus police pending his transfer to Rhode Island, where he is expected to face a murder charge.
Chief Perez said Eze was not a member of the football team and that investigators were still working to establish what led to the violence. He said there was no indication that Eze and the victims knew one another.
“There was an altercation between a female and some of the victims that were in line,” Mr Perez said. “And then the altercation moved over to the parking lot of the Wendy’s but we have no indication that they knew each other.”
Police used Flock cameras in the area to identify the car in which Eze allegedly left the scene, Mr Perez said. That information helped investigators locate him at the university.
The players had travelled to Providence after UMass Dartmouth lost a home game against Framingham State. The university campus is about 30 miles south-east of Providence and roughly 60 miles south of Boston.
UMass Dartmouth chancellor Mark Fuller said: “Our hearts and prayers are very much with Marvins’ family, friends, classmates, and teammates as we mourn his loss together. We also send our prayers and best wishes for Kensley’s recovery, and hope that he will be able to resume his education here soon.”
Antoine had graduated from Durfee High School in Fall River. Former team-mate Orlando Delgado said he had hoped to play in the NFL and described him as loyal and an example to younger players.
“He was a peacemaker. So to hear about a situation like this it’s very devastating. It’s hurtful,” said Ashania Chambers, the mother of another former school team-mate. “This is a sad situation because he’s not that type of child.”
