The daughter of famed Black civil rights activist Malcolm X, Malikah Shabazz, was found dead at her Brooklyn home Monday. One of six children, and a twin, Shabazz was born seven months after the assassination of her father.
Shabazz, 56, was found unconscious by her daughter Bettih Shabazz. According to the New York Police Department, the death appears to be due to natural causes at this time.
"At this point in time, working with other authorities, the medical examiner, and speaking to the family, she had been ill for a period of time," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told PIX. "And at this point, nothing appears suspicious.” Police are "absolutely not" looking for a suspect, Shea added.
Shabazz’s death comes just days after a New York County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Ellen Biben granted a motion to vacate the convictions of Muhammad A. Aziz, 83, and the late Khalil Islam, the two men charged with killing Malcolm X.
Aziz, previously known as Norman Butler, spent 22 years in prison before he was paroled in 1985. Khalil Islam died in 2009.
Family members reportedly told first responders that Shabazz had possibly experienced food poisoning earlier in the day.
Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, were the youngest daughters of Malcolm X, who was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Their mother, Betty Shabazz, was pregnant with the twins when their father was murdered.
According to Associated Press, Shabazz, an activist and writer, and her daughter, Bettih Shabazz, were arrested in Maryland in 2017 on animal cruelty charges after authorities said several injured dogs were found inside a stolen U-Haul truck they were driving.
Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., offered her condolences to Shabazz’s family.
"I'm deeply saddened by the death of #MalikahShabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, when Brother Malcolm was assassinated. Be at peace, Malikah," King said on Twitter.
Shabazz, 56, was found unconscious by her daughter Bettih Shabazz. According to the New York Police Department, the death appears to be due to natural causes at this time.
"At this point in time, working with other authorities, the medical examiner, and speaking to the family, she had been ill for a period of time," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told PIX. "And at this point, nothing appears suspicious.” Police are "absolutely not" looking for a suspect, Shea added.
Shabazz’s death comes just days after a New York County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Ellen Biben granted a motion to vacate the convictions of Muhammad A. Aziz, 83, and the late Khalil Islam, the two men charged with killing Malcolm X.
Aziz, previously known as Norman Butler, spent 22 years in prison before he was paroled in 1985. Khalil Islam died in 2009.
Family members reportedly told first responders that Shabazz had possibly experienced food poisoning earlier in the day.
Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, were the youngest daughters of Malcolm X, who was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Their mother, Betty Shabazz, was pregnant with the twins when their father was murdered.
According to Associated Press, Shabazz, an activist and writer, and her daughter, Bettih Shabazz, were arrested in Maryland in 2017 on animal cruelty charges after authorities said several injured dogs were found inside a stolen U-Haul truck they were driving.
Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., offered her condolences to Shabazz’s family.
"I'm deeply saddened by the death of #MalikahShabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, when Brother Malcolm was assassinated. Be at peace, Malikah," King said on Twitter.