Dad charged with murder after shooting his son dead for being gay

A dad has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his son because he was gay.

Amir Issa, 29, was found dead outside his family home from gunshot wounds while his mother Rabihah Issa, 68, was found stabbed to death inside the bathroom.

His father, 69-year-old Shehada Khali Issa, has now been charged with premeditated murder.

Police were called to the family home in Los Angeles and arrested Shehada Issa on Tuesday afternoon.

Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “It is alleged the murder was committed because of the victim’s sexual orientation and because of the defendant’s perception of that status and the victims’ association with a person and a group of that status.”

An investigation into his wife’s death is still ongoing.

Detective John Doerbecker told the Los Angeles Daily News that the father had claimed he returned home and found his son had stabbed his wife to death, after which he shot his son.

But Doerbecker added: “He claimed (the son) was armed with a knife, and there was no knife to be found..

“It was a horrible family tragedy.”

Los Angeles LGBT Center released a statement following the killings, NBC News reported , which read: “Despite all the civil rights victories we’ve had in the last few years, we still live in a society where people face violence or even murder for being open about their sexual orientation or gender identity.”