One of the main buildings on SU campus. Image courtesy of David Bohenick.
Seven Salisbury University students were arrested on assault and hate crime charges in connection with an attack that the Salisbury Police Department says occurred at an off-campus apartment complex. The incident happened in University Park, a nearby apartment complex, on Oct. 15, according to police.
Police say detectives met with witnesses and obtained cell phone footage of the victim being assaulted by several college-aged men. According to CBS, police discovered that one of the men created a Grindr account and posed as a 16-year-old to lure the victim to their residence where he was then assaulted.
The victim told police when he entered the apartment he was surrounded by a group of college-aged-men who forced him to sit in a chair, punched him, kicked him, spit on him and called him derogatory names. The victim tried leaving multiple times but was thrown onto the floor every time.
The assault lasted for several minutes until the victim was finally allowed to leave, according to police. He was left with bruises all over his body and a broken rib.
Police identified Ryder Baker, 20, Bennan Aird, 18, Riley Brister, 20, Cruz Cespedes, 19, Dylan Earp, 20, Elijah Johnson, 19, and Zachary Leinemann, 18, as seven of the alleged perpetrators. All seven suspects were charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and other associated hate crime charges.
According to CBS, the victim believes he was targeted because of his sexual orientation. Police haven’t shared if the victim was an SU student.
SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre responded to the charges on social media. She attests that SU is no place for such violence.
“The thought of SU students perpetuating any crime is upsetting, but the thought of SU students perpetrating crimes of such a disturbing nature is truly horrifying,” she writes. “So, let me be clear. We are upset by these allegations. I am upset by these allegations.”
“In my more than two years at SU, I have grown to cherish the warmth, compassion, and acceptance that define this community we've built together. These actions do not reflect the SU that I know and love. A place where everyone should feel safe and free from harm.”
The charges come shortly after the Princeton Review published their list of LGBTQ-Unfriendly colleges in the US where Salisbury University was ranked #20.
According to The Princeton Review, the ranking was “based on how strongly students disagree that their fellow students treat all persons equally, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.”
PFLAG, the largest national organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for LGBTQ people and their families, has a chapter in Salisbury that took the time to respond to the charges on social media.
“According to the FBI, hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community continue to be on the rise despite the overall number of hate crimes reported being on a steady decline,” Salisbury PFLAG wrote. “More specifically, in the past two years, hate crimes based on gender identity have increased by 48%, and hate crimes based on sexual orientation are up 36.8%.”
“PFLAG strongly believes it is our moral obligation to continue to fight injustice and policies rooted in racism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia and condemn hateful rhetoric, hate crimes, and hate threats against all people. We also know that we are strongest when we work together.”
According to police, some of the perpetrators involved were members or associates of an SU fraternity.
Students that feel like they need additional support are encouraged to utilize SU resources like the Counseling Center or TimelyCare.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and ask for anyone with information to call them at 410-548-3165.
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By DAVID BOHENICK
Editor-in-Chief
Featured image courtesy of David Bohenick