On a cold winter day in Washington, D.C., the life of 25-year-old Daud Khaalis was brutally cut short. It was January 18, 1973, at a residence on 16th Street NW, a home that also served as a center for the Hanafi Muslim community. The tragic event began to unfold when assailants, later identified as members of the Black Mafia, arrived at the house. In an act of calculated deception, one of the men engaged Daud in a seemingly innocent transaction, asking for change for a bill.
When Daud returned, the facade dropped, and the grim reality of a 'stick-up' was announced as more armed individuals entered the home.
The intruders took control of the residence, and Daud was taken to the third floor, where he was shot, becoming the first victim in a horrific massacre that would claim the lives of seven people, including children. The motive for this violent home invasion was rooted in a deep-seated conflict with the Nation of Islam. Daud's father, Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, the leader of the Hanafi Movement, had penned letters critical of the Nation of Islam and its leader, Elijah Muhammad. These letters were seen as an act of defiance that prompted a violent and deadly retaliation.
In the aftermath of the gruesome murders, an investigation was launched, which ultimately led to the indictment of several individuals connected to the Black Mafia. Those charged in the meticulously planned attack included James Price, Jerome Sinclair, John W. Griffin, John W. Clark, Thomas Moody, and William Christian. The subsequent legal proceedings brought some measure of justice for the heinous crime, though one defendant was acquitted after a key witness refused to testify. The brutal murder of Daud Khaalis and six others marked a dark chapter in the history of religious disputes in the nation's capital, leaving a lasting scar on the community and the surviving members of his family.
