A white Arizona man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after he stabbed a black teen to death because he was listening to rap music.
27-year-old Michael Adams attacked 17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin from behind and slit his throat at a Circle K in Peoria around 1:42 a.m. on the Fourth of July.
Adams told police he was not provoked or threatened by the teen. He said people who listen to rap music are a threat to him and the community so he decided to be “proactive rather than reactive.”
The senseless and deadly attack comes two days after Michael Adams was released from prison.
Jacie Cotterell, Adams’s lawyer, claims he has mental health issues and was not given the his medication or proper resources upon his release.
However, Bill Lamoreaux, a spokesman for Arizona Department of Corrections, said that Adams “was not designated seriously mentally ill” following his release.
Elijah’s mother, Serina Rides, along with the rest of us, aren’t excepting any excuses for this heinous act.
There’s no excuse for this. There’s not at all, there’s no excuse.
I don’t care that somebody’s hiding behind mental illness, there’s no excuse.
Watch below at Elijah Al-Amin’s mother speaks out.
The hashtag #JusticeForElijah is trending on social media as many call for justice and react to this senseless act of violence.
This feels like Jordan Davis all over again…
