Arizona man says he stabbed teenager because he felt 'threatened' by his rap music

A memorial to Elijah al-Amin.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

A 27-year-old Arizona man told investigators he stabbed a 17-year-old to death inside a convenience store last Thursday because the teen was listening to rap music in his car, which made him feel "unsafe."

Court filings state that Michael Adams told police he heard the music as he approached a Circle K in Peoria, Arizona, and felt uneasy because he's been attacked before by people who listened to rap, specifically "blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans." Adams, who is white, also told investigators he decided to be "proactive rather than reactive" to the "threat" he faced.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.