John Bowes, 20, of Hancock, N.H., has been charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery to intimidate with bodily injury and civil rights violations for his alleged involvement in last Sunday’s altercation in MacKimmie residence hall that left three men injured and one in custody. According to the police report and anonymous accounts, Bowes, a white man, instigated a verbal confrontation with African-American University of Massachusetts student Jason Vassell, 23, by yelling racial slurs. The confrontation allegedly turned physical, with Vassell suffering a broken nose and Bowes and Jonathan Bosse, 19, of Milton, receiving several stab wounds. The fight took place in the MacKimmie lobby at about 5 a.m. Sunday morning. According to Massachusetts law, “whoever commits an assault or a battery upon a person… because of such person’s race, color… shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars or by imprisonment… for not more that two and one-half years.” Vassell himself was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a knife) and two counts of armed assault with intent to murder. As of Thursday, Vassell and Bosse have been treated and released from local hospitals, while Bowes remains in fair condition at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The investigation of the case is still underway, and the UMass Amherst Police Department encourages anyone with information relevant to the case to contact them at 413-545-2121.