PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Providence College hockey player is recovering after her father claims she was assaulted in the city last weekend.
The Minnesota native’s father, Anthony, who asked that his daughter not be identified out of concern for her safety, said she was walking home from a school-sponsored event last Friday night when she was jumped by two females.
More than 1,100 miles away at the time, Anthony said he panicked when he received a late-night phone call from a nurse at Roger Williams Medical Center.
“It was very frightening,” he recalled. “We didn’t know if she was shot, or if she was stabbed, or if she had some very serious injuries or not.”
Unable to speak with his daughter right away, Anthony hopped on the next available flight to Rhode Island to be by her side.
“She was a mess,” he said. “She was in a very fragile state, and frankly, she still is.”
Anthony said the suspects destroyed his daughter’s phone before pinning her down and slamming her head into the ground.
“As a father, I felt like I couldn’t protect my daughter,” he added. “There was nothing I could have done about it. I felt very helpless.”
The assault left his daughter with a concussion and countless bruises. Anthony said she’s still recovering both physically and mentally, adding that she’s started seeing a counselor on campus to cope with the trauma.
This isn’t the first time a Providence College student has been assaulted in recent months. Last month, one student was attacked while walking home from a bar not only with her best friend, but both of their mothers as well.
In response to that attack and a number of others, Providence College implemented new security measures on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods.
But Anthony doesn’t think those measures are enough, especially since his daughter was assaulted a block and a half away from campus.
“If we can’t protect these young adults, who are going to be our next generation of leaders, then shame on us. There’s something wrong,” Anthony said. “Why haven’t there been any arrests in these assaults? Why have none of these perpetrators been brought to justice?”
“Maybe that would set a precedent in the community that, if you’re causing unjust harm, you’re going to be held [accountable],” he continued.
Police confirmed they are investigating the incident, though no arrests have been made at this time.
