On Feb. 21, 1965, civil rights leader Malcolm X was shot to death at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem during a speaking engagement. Although three men were arrested for this crime, Thomas Hagan was the prime mover within the shooting. Hagan served for the crime for 44 years. Previously known as Talmadge Hayer, or Talmadge X Hayer, Thomas Hagan is 69 years old and was granted parole after a dozen requests, and probably a payday loans or two for legal representation.
Malcolm X assassination
On that day in 1965, Malcolm X took the podium at the Audubon Ballroom. As he started to address the crowd, a sudden disturbance broke out. As he tried to calm the situation, Thomas Hagan, and then Talmadge Hayer, shot him in the chest with a sawed off shotgun at point blank range. He was then shot by two others with handguns. Malcolm X was shot more than 16 times and was dead just after his arrival at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital at 3:30. Hagan was arrested at the scene after being severely beaten by the crowd and was the only person who confessed to the crime.
The other men that shot
Two additional persons were arrested, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, now known as Muhammed Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam, respectively. Both maintained their innocence, and Hagan has always said they had nothing to do with the crime. Even low interest loans can't help yield other results as to who the other gunmen were. In the mid 1980s, both of them were paroled.
Shooting over ecumenical split
In 1964, Malcolm X had split from the Nation of Islam, which he had been a member of for a dozen years. The shooting was supposedly because of tensions between himself and Elijah Muhammad, leader. Hagan said that he shot him down because of that reason.
17th attempt parole granted to Thomas Hagan
The Los Angeles Times says that Hagan has showed regret over the shooting. This was his 17th try to get on parole and he was of course it. He is married, has a daughter, according to New York Times, and given that 1988 has been on work release, working in a fast food restaurant among other endeavors. Also, since incarceration, he has earned a Masters in Sociology.
Article Resources
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-malcolm-x-killer,,117782.story
New York Times
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/killer-of-malcolm-x-granted-parole/
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