In the winter of 1973, a quiet street in Washington, D.C. became the scene of a brutal crime that claimed the lives of seven people, including a young boy. On January 18th, a group of men entered a home on 16th Street NW, which had been purchased by basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a group of Hanafi Muslims. The attackers' intended target was Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, the leader of the Hanafi group, who was not present at the time.
Among the victims was a 10-year-old male.
The assailants, later identified as members of the Black Mafia, carried out the killings with chilling precision. Two men and a boy were shot, while four other children, with ages ranging from nine days to ten years old, were drowned. Two others in the house were left severely injured but survived the horrific ordeal.
The motive behind the massacre was a series of letters Khaalis had written, critical of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. These letters were sent to ministers at Nation of Islam mosques, denouncing Muhammad's teachings. The attack was a direct retaliation for these letters.
Following the murders, an investigation led to the arrest of several suspects. While some individuals were convicted for their roles in the crime, the legal proceedings were complex. One defendant was later killed in prison. Another was granted a retrial which ended in a mistrial after a survivor, traumatized by the event, was unable to endure cross-examination. The tragic event brought to light the intense and violent conflict between different factions within the Muslim community at the time.
