Dad of Ethiopian-Israeli killed by cop slams ‘false reports slandering’ his son

The father of an Ethiopian-Israeli teenager killed last month by a policeman denounces what he called “false reports” slandering his son, following the release of the autopsy results.

Solomon Tekah, 19, was shot dead by an off-duty officer in Haifa on June 30. The officer, who has not publicly been named, has maintained he was trying to break up a street fight and was set upon by three youths who hurled stones at him, endangering his life.

According to the autopsy, Tekah had drunk alcohol prior to the shooting and the bullet ricocheted off the ground before killing him, corroborating the officer’s account. The autopsy also showed that he had smoked cannabis, Channel 12 news reported.

Speaking during a press conference at Bar-Ilan University, Worka Tekah assails “the false reports slandering Solomon’s name” and criticized authorities over their conduct in the aftermath of the shooting.

“We had hope that law enforcement would investigate and arrive at the truth but instead we have come to slander and harm to his reputation,” he said through a translator. “How can one desecrate the name of a man buried in the earth and is incapable of defending himself and clearing his name? They are killing my son for a second time,” Tekah adds.

He calls for the probe into the officer to be conducted “without any bias” and said the family lacked faith in law enforcement.