Malcolm X Assassination: The Innocent Men Who Spent 20+ Years in Prison

Описание: On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He was 39 years old. At approximately 3:05 PM, as Malcolm X prepared to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity, someone in the 400-person audience yelled "Get your hand outta my pocket!" to create a distraction. A man rushed forward with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Malcolm once in the chest. Two other men charged the stage firing semi-automatic handguns. The autopsy identified 21 gunshot wounds to Malcolm's chest, left shoulder, arms, and legs, including 10 buckshot wounds from the initial shotgun blast. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 PM at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. His pregnant wife Betty Shabazz and their four daughters were in the front row and witnessed the murder. Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted in 1966: Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan or Mujahid Abdul Halim), Muhammad Abdul Aziz (formerly Norman 3X Butler), and Khalil Islam (formerly Thomas 15X Johnson). All three were sentenced to life in prison. But Talmadge Hayer, the only gunman caught at the scene, confessed to the murder and repeatedly testified that Aziz and Islam were not involved. He identified four other men from the Nation of Islam's Newark mosque as his actual accomplices. Aziz and Islam maintained their innocence for over five decades. Both had alibis placing them in the Bronx when Malcolm was killed. No physical evidence linked them to the crime. Yet they were convicted based on inconsistent eyewitness testimony. In November 2021, after a 22-month investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Innocence Project, both men were exonerated. The investigation revealed that the FBI and NYPD had withheld key exculpatory evidence, engaged in witness intimidation, and suppressed documents that could have cleared them. Muhammad Aziz was 83 years old when his conviction was vacated. He had spent more than 20 years in prison and 55 years living with the stigma of being convicted of murdering one of the most important civil rights leaders in history. Khalil Islam died in 2009 at age 74, twelve years before his name was cleared. In October 2022, New York agreed to pay $36 million to settle lawsuits filed on behalf of Aziz and Islam's estate — $26 million from New York City and $10 million from New York State. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance apologized for law enforcement's "serious, unacceptable violations of law and the public trust." Today marks 60 years since Malcolm X was assassinated. And the government let two innocent men rot in prison to cover it up. Say their names: Muhammad Aziz. Khalil Islam. Malcolm X. This is Black History Unfiltered.
Follow for more truth they tried to bury.

#MalcolmX, #February21, #BlackHistory, #MalcolmXAssassination, #MuhammadAziz, #KhalilIslam, #WrongfulConviction, #InnocenceProject, #CivilRights, #60YearsLater, #JusticeDelayed, #Exoneration, #FBI, #NYPD, #TruthMatters, #Viral, #NeverForget, #AudubonBallroom, #1965, #SayTheirNames

Malcolm X assassination February 21 1965, Audubon Ballroom shooting, Muhammad Aziz exoneration, Khalil Islam wrongful conviction, Malcolm X innocent men prison, Talmadge Hayer confession, FBI NYPD cover up Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz witnessed murder, Nation of Islam assassination, wrongful conviction 56 years, Innocence Project Malcolm X, civil rights leader murdered, Malcolm X 60th anniversary, government misconduct Malcolm X case, exonerated 2021 Malcolm X