An Arizona man was charged with first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing 17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin to death by a convenience store for listening to rap music.
According to investigators, Michael Paul Adams, 27, felt “unsafe” after hearing Al-Amin listening to rap music in his car before entering the store. Adams had reportedly told authorities that he considered rap music a “threat to him and the community.”
Before the incident, Al-Amin was released late from one of his two summer jobs about 11:30 p.m. and planned to meet his girlfriend later. Witnesses at the scene say Adams approached the 17-year-old from behind about 1:45 a.m. while Al-Amin stood waiting at a soda machine. Adams then allegedly slit his throat and repeatedly stabbed him in the back with a pocket knife. Al-Amin died in a hospital, 15 minutes after being stabbed.
“He wanted to be hotel management, he wanted to move to Seattle, he wanted to move different places,” Al-Amin’s father said in an emotional interview with a local news channel. “He was a good kid, very good kid, always willing to help kids, help people in general.”
The story gained national attention on Monday after #JusticeforElijah began trending on Twitter. Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker tweeted, “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”
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
Adams reportedly claimed he had been attacked before by individuals who listen to rap, singling out racial groups such as “blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans.” Despite Adams’ specific reference to race in his confession, a spokesman for the Peoria police told the Washington Post that the incident “did not meet the threshold for hate crime charges.”
Adams’ attorney, Jacie Cotterell, told local news that her client was a “very unfortunate young man” who suffers from “obvious mental illnesses.” Adams has previously been charged by law enforcement with other violent crimes, including aggravated assault. He is scheduled to appear in court July 15.
