An Arizona man has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder after police said he killed a teenager because the rap music the teen was listening to made him feel “unsafe.”
Authorities said Michael Paul Adams, 27, admitted to using a pocket knife to stab Elijah Al-Amin, 17, in the throat and back at a Circle K gas station in Peoria, Ariz., according to The Washington Post.
{mosads}Police said Adams followed Al-Amin inside the convenience store last week after hearing rap music blare from the teen’s car. Police and witnesses reportedly said Adams approached Al-Amin from behind before stabbing him multiple times.
Al-Amin managed to run out of the store before collapsing near gas pumps outside, the Post reported, citing a probable cause statement. Al-Amin was pronounced dead shortly after the incident, CNN said.
After being detained, Adams told investigators Al-Amin did not say or do anything to provoke him. He claimed the rap music Al-Amin was listening to made him feel “unsafe,” and said he needed to be “proactive rather than reactive,” according to the statement.
He also claimed that he’s been attacked by people, specifically “blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans,” who listen to rap, describing them as a “threat to him and the community.”
Adams was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, the Post reported. While police did not confirm that Al-Amin was the victim, several news reports have identified him as such.
Details surrounding the teen’s death have led to widespread outrage. The hashtag #JusticeForElijah trended on Twitter on Monday as many condemned the attack as a hate crime.
“This is horrific. We must call this what it is — a hate crime — and demand a thorough investigation at the highest level,” the Human Rights campaign said in a statement on Twitter.
Brandon Sheffert, a spokesman for the Peoria police, told the Post officials had yet to determine Al-Amin’s race. He added that the attack had not met the bar for a hate crime charge.
“It’s an ongoing investigation, and charges can be changed or amended. It’s not completely off the table,” Sheffert said.
The Post noted that final charges would be determined by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Adams is reportedly being held at the Maricopa County Jail and is due to appear in court on July 15.