Malcolm Shabazz was the son of L.A. Bouasba and Qubilah Shabazz, daughter of civil rights activists Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.
He was born on October 8, 1984, in Paris, France.
Malcolm and his mother moved to Los Angeles when he was a few months old. They then moved to New York City and then Philadelphia.
He reportedly set fire to his shoes at age 3. Malcolm brought a knife to school in the third grade. At that time, he suffered from delusions and was hospitalized for a short time.
In the early 1990s, Malcolm often stayed with his grandmother Betty and his aunts in New York, while his mother Qubilah Shabazz lived with various friends.
In 1995, Qubilah was arrested by the FBI over an outlandish plot to kill Louis Farrakhan — the leader of the Nation of Islam who had fallen out with Malcolm X before his death. She allegedly believed Farrakhan was involved in her father’s assassination and wanted revenge. Qubilah was indicted on charges of using telephones and crossing state lines as part of the plot but accepted a plea deal, agreeing to seek treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.
Malcolm, then 10, was sent to live with his grandmother, Betty Shabazz.
On June 1, 1997, at age 12, Malcolm Shabazz set a fire in his grandmother’s apartment. During the blaze, Betty suffered burns to 80% of her body and she later died of injuries on June 23, 1997. Malcolm pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention on charges of arson and manslaughter.
After his release, Shabazz lived with his aunt, Ilyasah Shabazz shortly. He was arrested in 2002 for stealing $100 and pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, resulting in three and a half years in prison. Shabazz was arrested again in 2006, for punching a hole in a store’s glass window.
In 2010, Malcolm Shabazz made the Hajj to Mecca.
Malcolm Shabazz was murdered on May 9, 2013, at age 28 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Shabazz was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, United States.