Lisa Collins
On the anniversary of his 1965 assassination, Ilyasah Shabazz—the third daughter of Malcolm X —stood alongside her sister Qubilah to announce that the family of the famed Black leader intends to sue the FBI, CIA and New York Police Department for the role they played in his death.
“For years, our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder and we’d like our father to receive the justice that he deserves,”
said Shabazz, who serves as an administrator of Malcolm X’s estate.
“The truth about the circumstances leading to the death of our father is important, not only to his family, but to many followers, many admirers, many who look to him for guidance, for love,” Shabazz said.
The announcement of an $100 million lawsuit was made during a news conference held at the Manhattan location (known as the Audubon Ballroom) where the Malcolm X was shot 21 times as he began to deliver remarks on stage.
According to reports, there were three to five assailants, one of whom, Talmadge Hayer, was captured and beaten savagely while trying to leave the scene.
Hayer—who subsequently confessed to killing Malcolm X with four different men all motivated by the feud between the civil rights leader and the Nation of Islam—spent 45 years in prison before his release on parole in 2010, never identifying any of the other assailants.
Two other men— Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam—were convicted in the killing but were later found to be innocent of the crime and were exonerated after years in prison and awarded $26 million for the wrongful convictions.
“The connection between his death and federal and New York government agencies, including the NYPD, FBI and CIA has long been contested,” Crump said. “The governmental agencies had factual and exculpatory evidence that they fraudulently concealed from the family of Malcolm X and the men wrongly convicted of crimes surrounding the assassination of Malcolm X.”
Three of Malcolm X’s daughters have pointed to a deathbed letter written by former police officer Raymond Wood on Jan. 25, 2011. In the letter, Wood, who was on duty the day of Malcolm X’s death, wrote that he “participated in actions that in hindsight were deplorable and detrimental to the advancement of my own black people.
“Under the direction of my handlers, I was told to encourage leaders and members of the civil rights groups to commit felonious acts,” Wood wrote.
“We intend to have vigorous litigation of this matter, to have discovery, to be able to take depositions of the individuals who are still alive, 58 years later, to make sure that some measure of justice can be given to Malcolm X’s daughters,” Crump continued, later adding, “The truth of what happened and who was involved has always been critical.”
Family members involved in the action include four of his six daughters— Ilyasah, Qubilah, Gamilah and Malaak Shabazz — along with the daughter of a fifth daughter, Malikah Shabazz who died in 2021. Not mentioned was eldest daughter, Attalah Shabazz, a noted author, speaker and actress.
Said Crump, “The rhetorical question is this: if the government compensated the two gentlemen that were wrongfully convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X with tens of millions of dollars, then what is to be the compensation for the daughters who suffered the most from the assassination of Malcolm X?”