Gugsa Abraham Dabela. (Family photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, June 15th, 2016
New York (TADIAS) — Two years ago Gugsa Abraham Dabela (also known as Abe), a young and successful Ethiopian-American attorney, was found dead after a car accident in Redding, Connecticut. Gugsa’s body was discovered by police with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, but within hours the authorities had declared his death a suicide — a ruling that has been vigorously disputed by his family and local civil rights organizations. Last Summer the Connecticut NAACP launched its own independent inquiry into the case saying that “it had a lot of questions concerning the incident and the investigation, including whether the Redding Police Department rushed to judgment.”
This month, the family announced that they have filed a lawsuit against the City of Redding and individual police department employees, saying they believe there has been a cover up. “Somebody killed my son. He didn’t kill himself,” says his father Dr. Abraham Dabela.
“The most shocking thing to me is how quickly and unequivocally this was ruled a suicide,” says attorney Solomon Radner. “When a person is found with his car in a ditch and bullet in his head, how is that not going to be investigated as a crime, even if an investigation is done and several months later they conclude this was a suicide?”
Per Crime Watch Daily: “Just as surprising, police made the announcement before even informing Abe’s family, who learned the tragic news in a phone call from his landlady. Doctor Abraham Dabela says he called the police and was told his son had died in a car crash. But the family wouldn’t find out Abe had been shot dead until he was told by the medical examiner, and only learned it was suicide from the news.”
Gugsa was born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland. His father Abraham, a physician, and mother Ellene are both immigrants from Ethiopia. Gugsa was the Dabela’s only son. According to his family, Gugsa, who was 35 years old when he died in April of 2014, moved to Redding in 2011 to open his own law practice.
Watch: FAMILY LAWSUIT ALLEGES CONSPIRACY TO COVER UP MURDER OF LAWYER (PART 1)
Watch: FAMILY LAWSUIT ALLEGES CONSPIRACY TO COVER UP MURDER OF LAWYER (PART 2)
Watch: FAMILY LAWSUIT ALLEGES CONSPIRACY TO COVER UP MURDER OF LAWYER (PART 3)
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Related:
NAACP Announces Launch of Inquiry Into Death of Attorney Abe Dabela
Family Seeks Answers in 2014 Death of Gugsa Abraham Dabela
NAACP Wants Investigation Into Ethiopian American Attorney Abe Dabela’s Death
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