A man is said to have stabbed a teenager to death after claiming he felt threatened by his music.
Arizona law enforcement officials charged Michael Paul Adams with the first-degree, premeditated murder of 17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin on Thursday, police have confirmed.
According to the Arizona Republic’s review of court documents, the 27-year-old slit the teen’s throat and stabbed him with a pocket knife at a Peoria Circle K petrol station.
The reports claim Adams told investigators the reason behind his vicious attack was because he felt threatened by the hip-hop music Al-Amin was playing, rather than by the teen himself.
He went on to say people who play rap music are a threat to him and his community, adding he was being ‘proactive, not reactive’ because the genre of music makes him feel ‘unsafe’ because of alleged attacks from rap music listeners in the past.
Reports say Al-Amin had just finished his shift at Subway at around 11.30pm before going on to visit his girlfriend and heading to the Circle K at 1.42am. Security cameras show the teen walking into the convenience shop, followed by Adams just a few seconds later, as reported by the Arizona Republic.
After Adams allegedly stabbed Al-Amin, the teen ran out of the store and collapsed near the petrol pumps, before being transported to a nearby hospital.
Sadly, he was pronounced dead at around 2.05am on Thursday morning.
After a search, police say they found Adams covered in blood, reportedly admitting he was ‘involved’ in the murder.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.