Family of Deceased Redding Attorney Launches #Justice4Abe Website

The family of a young black attorney from Redding who was found dead in April of 2014, has launched a new website, www.justice4abe.com, and issued a public appeal for help in solving the case.

Abraham ‘Abe’ Dabela died after his car rolled over onto its roof after 1 a.m. on April 5, 2014. Police found the man with a single gunshot wound in his head. The family is calling for an investigation because they feel he died under suspicious circumstances.

The Connecticut NAACP is joining Dabela’s family in launching an investigation into whether the Ethiopian-American attorney was murdered, according to the CT Law Tribune.

Redding Police and the state medical examiner’s office said he took his own life. Police found a semi-automatic handgun in the vehicle.

The family said in a press release that he was found “just minutes after he was, from reports, cheerfully mingling with friends and passing out business cards for his new law practice.”

The new website highlights reasons as to why the family is challenging the Redding Police Department’s investigation. According to a press release from the family, they are asking for the following questions to be answered:

• Why did the Redding Police Department issue a press release within hours of Abe’s death classifying the gunshot as “self-inflicted?”
• Why wasn’t the death scene investigated by either the Major Crime Squad or an investigator from the Office of the Medical Examiner upon discovery of a gunshot victim?
• Why were Abe’s hands not tested for gunshot residue by the Medical Examiner despite the Redding Police Department’s reports stating that this test was requested on multiple occasions prior to the autopsy?
• Why did the Redding Police Department not conduct in-depth interviews with potential witnesses or others who might have relevant information?· Is there physical evidence inconsistent with a suicide finding?

“Sixteen months of an anguished search for answers have only led to more questions,” said G. Dabela, Abe’s sister. “Now the public can share in the mystery and, hopefully, shed light on this tragedy.”

To find out more about the case, visit www.justice4abe.com or follow #Justice4Abe on social networks (Facebook: www.facebook.com/Justice4Abe; Twitter: @Justice4Abe).

Members of the public who have a tip about the case can reach out anonymously via the website, send an email to info@justice4abe.com or contact the CT NAACP at 860-523-9962.

Related:

CT NAACP to Investigate Redding Lawyer’s Death

REMINDER: CT NAACP Press Conference Wednesday