Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
11/25/1973: An assailant shot and killed Saleem Erakat at work at the grocery store Erakat owned on Larkin Street in San Francisco, California, United States. Although Erakat was a Jordanian Arab immigrant, the assailant, identified as J.C. Simon, perceived Erakat to be a white man. Simon greeted Erakat, ordered him to the bathroom in the back of the shop, demanded Erakat kneel, tied his hands behind his back, and shot Erakat in the back of his head with a .32 caliber gun, using a quilt to muffle the gunshot sounds. Additionally, Simon emptied both the safe and the cash register, taking about $1300. Simon was part of a small group of black Muslims who followed the Nation of Islam and believed that they had to "destroy the enemy" and "kill devils," which they interpreted as white people. This was the third in a series of 20 racially motivated attacks (with 23 victims) targeting white people by black Muslims who came to be known as the Zebra Killers.Overview
GTD ID:
197311250004
When:
1973-11-25
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
California
City:
San Francisco
Location Details:
Erakat's Grocery store at 452 Larkin Street, near Turk Street
What
| Target Type: Private Citizens & Property | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Not applicable | ||
| Specific Description | Jordanian Arab immigrant, Saleem Erakat, who was perceived to be white | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | No |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Firearms | Handgun |
| Weapon Details | |
| .32 caliber gun | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Additional Information | Saleem Erakat was mistaken for a white man as the perpetrators were targeting white people in the San Francisco area. No indictment was brought for this crime other than the conspiracy charge, due to lack of adequate evidence and witnesses. The eight Zebra killers were black Muslims, who belonged to the San Francisco chapter of the independent socio-religious sect, the Nation of Islam. The perpetrators followed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, and believed that their deity motivated them to kill the "devil," which the men interpreted to mean white people. The Nation of Islam paid for the legal representation of most members during their trials for these attacks. This was the fourth incident in a series of 20 racially motivated attacks (with 23 victims) by the perpetrators who came to be known as the Zebra killers. See also events 197310200002, 197310220003, 197310290003, 197311250004, 197312130001, 197312130002, 197312200003, 197312200004, 197312220002, 197312220003, 197312230001, 197401280001, 197401280002, 197401280003, 197401280004, 197404010003, 197404140003, and 197404160003 |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Zebra killers | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | 2 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 2 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 1 Fatalities / 0 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 1 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 1 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 0 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen, "The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights," Arcade Publishing, Inc., 2006. |
| Clark Howard, "Zebra: The true account of the 179 days of terror in San Francisco," Richard Marek Publishers, 1979. |
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