Naperville teen says he was victim of hate crime at University of Iowa

The family of a black University of Iowa freshman from Naperville says Marcus Owens is recovering from facial injuries suffered when he was attacked by three white men who called him racial slurs.

Dwayne Owens of Oswego said his nephew reported the beating to Iowa City police on Monday, saying someone "yelled out a racial epithet at him" before assaulting him. Iowa City police said they are investigating the assault as a hate crime.

Owens, 19, said the assault happened late Saturday in downtown Iowa City.

Owens told police he was walking in an alley near several bars and restaurants when he was approached by a man and struck multiple times. Two others joined the attack, he told police, striking him several more times and calling him racial slurs.

Owens described his assailants as three white men who were of average height and roughly 19 to 22 years old.

He was treated for his injuries at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Family members, including Marcus' mother, Rosalind, and his father, the Rev. Melvin Owens Jr., as well as aunts and uncles, gathered Wednesday at the hospital where Marcus was undergoing "a more complete examination" to ensure there will be no long-term damage from trauma to his face and eye, his uncle said. At the hospital with the family were University of Iowa officials.

"We met this morning with the dean of students and the president of the university who definitely seem to be taking the situation very, very seriously," Dwayne Owens said. "We're very appreciative of the supportive nature that the university has taken at this time."

The school said it learned of the assault from the news media, saying it was "deeply disturbed" by the report and concerned for Owens.

Students immediately took to social media to express safety concerns and question why they first learned about the hate crime report from ABC 7 Chicago instead of from the university. Using the #explainIowa hashtag on Twitter, they demanded more information about the case and how it was handled.

The campus police department issued a crime alert notifying students of the case on Wednesday morning.

Iowa City police spokesman Sgt. Scott Gaarde said investigators have gathered information on possible suspects and are pursuing leads. He declined to comment about when the department informed the university of the assault.

Marcus Owens, a graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, is studying business at Iowa, a school his uncle says he chose after visiting multiple campuses because he liked its complete college environment. Three percent of the 32,000 students enrolled at Iowa were black as of last fall, university statistics show.

"He felt that there was, ironically enough, a spirit of inclusion on the campus here at Iowa," Dwayne Owens said. "He still likes the school and he's still excited to be a Hawkeye, but he's a little shaken after such an unforeseen attack."

His uncle described Marcus as a "big, jovial, fun-loving guy" who was "attacked truly out of nowhere."

As police continue their investigation, Dwayne Owens said family will be taking Marcus to see a dentist because of some damage to his front teeth.

"Marcus is a really good kid," his uncle said. "He and my oldest daughter, Diamond, are four months apart. I was there when he was born. He's like a son to me."

• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.