With final exams on the horizon, Donnell Marcus Phelps was all set to finish his freshman year at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.
The 19-year-old from Marshallville had been studying agricultural engineering technology but also found time to manage the university’s tennis team.
And help those in need.
Late Tuesday afternoon he witnessed a man harassing three young ladies. The man was touching these girls in a very inappropriate way, so he decided to step in. However, he was forced to bring fists to a knife fight.
An autopsy showed Phelps was stabbed four times in the upper torso with a pocket knife with a 3.5-inch blade.
“Words cannot describe the pain that we all feel in the Fort Valley State community,” university President Paul Jones said at news conference, offering condolences to Phelps’ family, friends, students and the entire community.
Johnson described Phelps as selfless: “He always gave us hugs, and he’d always check up on us,” she added to the Telegraph. He ruined a stereotype of black men being only criminals. Sadly, he did it sacrificing his life.
Donnell Phelps died a hero. His Mom did an incredible job raising an amazing person. God bless this young man for his sacrificial act of bravery. His life matters.
