Michael Adams of Arizona has stabbed to death Elijah Al-Amin, 17, because he felt “threatened” by the rap music the teenager was listening to.
Happening in the early hours on the 4th of July, Adams, 27, stabbed Al-Amin fatally in the neck after creeping up behind him while the teenager was buying a can of soda after getting off work from a late shift. Adams allegedly had heard Al-Amin listening to music in his car before parking in front of a Circle K grocery store in Peoria, Arizona.
Another one of our children has been murdered in a heinous and unprovoked way—the DOJ must investigate this hate crime immediately. RIP Elijah. #JusticeForElijah https://t.co/0QaJiKudAf
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) July 8, 2019
Now being held on a $1 million bail, Adams has also been charged with first-degree murder. Adams, who is a white male, claimed that rap made him feel “unsafe” around “blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans”. He also claimed rap was “a threat to him and the community”.
His attorney is claiming that Adams suffers from a history of mental illness, and that he remains a vulnerable “disabled person”.
Many are calling for this crime to be looked into as a hate-crime, and to not be excused on the basis of a “mental illness”. In addition to this, many disability rights activists continue to condemn examples of crimes being explained as a result of mental illness, claiming that mental illness does not equate to an excuse for murder and crime.
No father deserves this pain and loss. We are with you. #JusticeForElijah https://t.co/7faI1uZB7U
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) July 9, 2019
The family and friends of Elijah gathered at the Tempe Islamic Community Center on Monday, where prayers were held before the burial of this young teenager killed in yet another blatant example of white supremacy.
A make-shift memorial has also been set up in front of the grocery store where Elijah was murdered, with flowers and candles to mark what would have been his upcoming 18th birthday.
