People are demanding #JusticeForElijah on Twitter after the 17-year-old Black teenager was murdered for listening to his music near a gas station in Arizona.
Elijah Al-Amin was killed by a stab in the back and a slit to his throat on July 4 around 1:42 a.m. in Peoria, Arizona, according to AZCentral.
Michael Adams was charged with the first-degree murder of Al-Amin after telling police that he killed the teenager because he was listening to rap music in his car.
Surveillance footage obtained by AZCentral shows Adams following Al-Amin into a store and then lunging to attack him with a pocketknife. Al-Amin then leaves the store and drops down near a gas pump to fight for his life.
Adams told police that he had been attacked by people who listen to rap music in the past. He added that people who listen to rap music posed as a threat to him and his community, according to documents obtained by AZCentral.
He also said that he was not provoked or threatened by Al-Amin before the alleged attack, but made the choice to be “proactive rather than reactive.”
Adams was released from Arizona State Prison Complex just two days before the attack, according to Newsweek. Adams’ attorney Jacie Cotterell said that he suffers from mental illness and wasn’t given the proper support upon his release.
“They released him to the streets with no medication, no meds, with no way to care for himself,” Cotterell said during a court appearance, according to Fox 10. “This is a failing of the Department of Corrections. This is easily foreseeable and that is an issue.”
According to Fox 10, Adams is in jail with a bond set at $1 million. Adams has been arrested a number of violent attacks against strangers.
The viral hashtag #JusticeForElijah has sprawled with outrage after reports of the gruesome murder. Thousands of people are now tweeting their reactions to the news.
This isn’t the first time an alleged white supremacist killed a Black teenager over their choice in music. In 2012, 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed in his SUV for listening to rap music outside a convenience store in Jacksonville, Florida.