Young Olympic Hopeful's Death Shatters Community (1208 hits)
Seventeen-year-old Olympic boxing hopeful Ronald “Roc” Gibbs was anointed “the Roc of Upton Boxing.” And it was a title he carried with grace and honor.
But last weekend, his promising life was snuffed out as he attempted to defend his older sister near their home in West Baltimore.
Terrance Sims, 30, was arrested Monday and charged with murder and attempted murder in the weekend stabbing that killed Gibbs and seriously injured his sister, Rashawnda Gibbs, in the 3900 block of W. Garrison Ave. The attack took place just steps from their family home in the 5000 block of Nelson Avenue.
Sims had previously served five years for manslaughter connected to a murder in 2000.
According to a police report, Sims got into an argument with Rashawnda Gibbs, which escalated into a fight in the early hours of March 6 when her younger brother heard the commotion and came to her aid.
Ronald Gibbs was stabbed multiple times and later died at Sinai Hospital. His sister suffered serious injuries, but was released from the hospital Monday.
Before his death, Gibbs, a popular and charismatic student-athlete, impacted many lives in his brief life. According to his coaches, the young fighter widely known as Roc was ranked fourth nationally out of hundreds of boxers in the Police Athletic League in 2010. And he was training to compete for a slot at the 2012 Olympics in London. ...
