Crystal Police Clear Up Confusion Over Barway Collins Statue
A memorial statue at Crystal’s Becker Park that honors slain 10-year-old Barway Collins was pushed over earlier this summer.
Some people had speculated that the statue was missing because it had been stolen.
Crystal Police Chief Brian Hubbard said someone pushed the statue off its base in either late May or early June. Police have not arrested anyone for the act of vandalism.
The Barway Collins statue was placed in Crystal’s Becker Park in October of 2024.
Hubbard said the statue is now in the hands of the sculptor, who is working on a more solid base than what was used to originally mount the statue when it was erected last October.
Collins was killed in 2015 by his own father, Pierre Collins, who is serving a 40-year prison sentence.
The Crystal community raised more than $20,000 to honor the boy who often played at the park near his home.
Hubbard said the city expects the repaired statue to be put back up soon, but was not aware of exactly when that would happen.
Visitors to Crystal’s Becker Park will only see this cement base where the Barway Collins statue stood before it was pushed over.
