RALEIGH (WTVD) --
Shaw University students are trying to cope with the sudden loss of a classmate just days into a new semester.Twenty-six-year-old Bryant Darnell Williams died Wednesday evening after a motorcycle crash near his east Raleigh home.
Police say Williams lost control of the bike on Carthage Circle near Piedmont Drive because he was speeding, less than a block from his house.
Williams was taken to WakeMed where he later died.
Friends and family remembered his life Thursday afternoon during a prayer vigil on Shaw's campus.
"To me personally he was a lover of life. He motivated other people to do what they felt was right all the time. He looked out for everybody," said Williams' brother Marvin Cannon.
Friends say Williams went back to school to provide a better life for his 5-year-old daughter.
He majored in Recreation Management and played the tuba in the Shaw University Band.
Williams was set to graduate in May.
On Thursday, Shaw University released a statement on his death:
"Any time we lose a Bear, it is saddening. But to lose one as young and promising as Bryant is heartbreaking," said Shaw University President Tashni Dubroy. "To say that this is a shock to the Shaw University family is huge understatement. Bryant's death reminds us of the rich relationships that we have at Shaw University. During the remainder of the semester, we can honor Bryant by continuing to nurture and cultivate those relationships. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryant's family right now."
Bryant is the second Shaw student in the past year to be killed in a motorcycle accident.
Last October, 22-year-old De'Andre Jamar Jackson, known on campus as "Kountry," was headed west on Clark Avenue in Cameron Village when a 1998 Lexus LS400 traveling east, driven by 65-year-old Ernestine Leach turned left in front his 2008 Suzuki GSX1300RX motorcycle causing a collision. Leach was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle.
Shaw University will posthumously award Williams his degree at his funeral.
No arrangements have been set.
Another vigil for Williams is being planned for Saturday at Shaw.