A 17-year-old was fatally stabbed at a gas station in Peoria, Arizona on Thursday for listening to rap music, police said.
Witnesses state that 27-year-old Michael Adams walked up to the teen around 1:45 a.m. inside the Circle K, slit his throat then left the store.
The victim, who has not been identified, walked outside and collapsed, KSAZ reported. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he died from injuries, police said.
Apparently, Adams admitted that he wasn’t provoked by the victim. He told investigators that he felt unsafe because he could hear the teen listening to Rap music. As for motive, Adams claims that he was attacked by people who listen to the genre before, so he stabbed the victim to prevent another attack.
According to his attorney, Adams doesn’t belong in jail. She says that he suffers from mental illness and was recently released from jail without medication.
“This is a failing of the Department of Corrections. This is easily foreseeable and that is an issue,” said lawyer Jacie Cotterell, during a court appearance.
“It’s too easy as a society to shake our head and say well, they committed a crime, it’s too bad, we have jails for that when really, what they need is treatment. They need a bed instead of a cell,” Cotterell added.
Adams was taken into custody nearby the crime scene, where officers retrieved the weapon, police said. Although additional charges or changes could be made at a later date, Adams was booked for murder and his bond was set at $1 million, KSAZ reported.
In an official statement released by Peoria Police Department on Facebook, Chief Art Miller said that authorities are “committed” to the investigation and offered condolences to the victim’s family.
“On behalf of the men and women of the Peoria Police Department, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim,” Miller said.
