In an emotional interview with 12 News, the father of the 17-year-old boy who died after being stabbed at a Peoria Circle K Thursday described his son as a good kid with "so many dreams" he wanted to accomplish.
"He wanted to be hotel management, he wanted to move to Seattle, he wanted to move different places," his dad said.
Elijah Al-Amin's dad said he got off work from Subway around 11:30 p.m. and was meeting his girlfriend. He told his son not to come home late.
Al-Amin was stabbed Thursday at a gas station in Peoria around 1:45 a.m. He died at a hospital, just about two weeks before his 18th birthday.
His dad wouldn't find out what happened to his son for hours.
"2 o'clock came, 3 o'clock came, 4 o'clock came, I kept calling, calling, calling, texting, texting, texting, and I wasn't getting a response," he said. "I just had a feeling that something wasn't right."
Elijah's dad said he went to his son's girlfriend's house and asked her if she knew where his son was. She told him his son had been stabbed and was rushed to a hospital.
He called the hospital and that's how he says he found out.
His son died around 2 a.m. Michael Adams was arrested shortly after the attack. He was booked on a first-degree murder charge.
The boy's father had a message for the man who police say killed his son.
"You took a helluva kid," he said.
Fighting back tears the boy's father said he missed his son.
"He was a good kid, very good kid, always willing to help kids, help people in general," he said.