Robert McGruder Jr., 23

Robert McGruder, 23, a black man, was stabbed multiple times at 809 E. 4th St. in Long Beach at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25 and died at 3:52 a.m. Officers responding to a call about a fight found McGruder wounded in a front yard. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. His stepfather, Henry Preston Lamar, 45, with whom he had been fighting, was arrested on suspicion of murder, Long Beach police said. 

Comments

[Theresa Henry]

I had a chance to meet Robert when he came to Kansas to visit his sister who is the mother of my grandchildren. He was a very nice young man that lived a very hard life in and out of foster homes and jail. He was trying to do the right thing and finally get himself together when his life was taken from him. Now he is in a better place than all of us, it is just sad it had to end like it did. I will pray for his family, because I couldn't imagine the hurt they must be feeling. My prayers are with the family.

[Al'Brina Curis]

I knew Robert on a personal level i really enjoyed spending time with him and i know that he had a very hard life and had many difficulties to face i was his friend and he was in deed a very nice person and i really miss him alot and wish it didnt have to end the way it did he is gone but never forgotten

[quincy darby]

I visited L.A. this past summer 4 the first time and during my trip i met with long lost family in The Jordan Downs projects in Watts....and through some cousins i was introduced to Robert..I called him Lil' Tank. He instantly became a close friend and it was then that i understood what type of hard life he was living. I took to him because his personality was so different in contrast to his situation. I saw good in Robert and me being older I used to tell him things that i went through because I understood. He wanted 2 come 2 Milwaukee with me to visit, but truthfully its just as bad here as out there so I kinda discouraged his thoughts on that. He always used to ask me when I was coming back and before I could tell him he got killed and although I knew Tank for all of 2 months, I felt as if I had lost a friend I had known all my life! He was expecting a child, I heard it was a boy and I pray that his child lives a life that he never got a chance to lead..because thats all he needed was a chance. R.I.P. Robert McGruder Jr....Q Miss U Homie! REST IN PARADISE!!!

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[Dantenee' Stevenson]

I AM THE COUSIN OF ROBERT MCGRUDER I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST MET HIM IT WAS THE YEAR OF 2003 ON JULY 4TH HE WAS SUCH A FUN PERSON. HIS FATHER " TANK " IS MY UNCLE ON MY MOTHERS SIDE LADONNA WICKWARE. THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME MEETING HIM INSTANTLY WE BECAME VERY CLOSE AFTER THAT I HAVENT SEEN HIM IN A WHILE BECAUSE HE WAS IN JAIL WE REUNITED WHEN HE GOT OUT OF JAIL IF IM NOT MISTAKEN IN 2006 FROM THEN WE WERE INSEPERABLE HE WAS THE BEST OF ALL MY COUSINS FOR HIM I DID EVERYTHING AND IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THE DAY OF HIS DEATH WAS PAINFUL AND UNBELIEVEABLE. HIS SON WAS BORN 2 DAYS LATER HE WAS NAMED AFTER ROBERT HE'S A JR TOO. HE'S NOW 1 YAERS OLD AND EVERYDAY THAT I LOOK AT HIM I SEE HIS DADDY. I MISS MY COUSIN AND I WISH HE WAS HERE TO BE A FATHER TO HIS SON AND A BIG BROTHER TO HIS LITTLE BROTHER SEMAJAY. HE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND ILL MAKE SURE HIS SON KNOWS WHO HE IS.

[Dantenee' Stevenson]

I AM THE COUSIN OF ROBERT MCGRUDER I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST MET HIM IT WAS THE YEAR OF 2003 ON JULY 4TH HE WAS SUCH A FUN PERSON. HIS FATHER " TANK " IS MY UNCLE ON MY MOTHERS SIDE LADONNA WICKWARE. THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME MEETING HIM INSTANTLY WE BECAME VERY CLOSE AFTER THAT I HAVENT SEEN HIM IN A WHILE BECAUSE HE WAS IN JAIL WE REUNITED WHEN HE GOT OUT OF JAIL IF IM NOT MISTAKEN IN 2006 FROM THEN WE WERE INSEPERABLE HE WAS THE BEST OF ALL MY COUSINS FOR HIM I DID EVERYTHING AND IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THE DAY OF HIS DEATH WAS PAINFUL AND UNBELIEVEABLE. HIS SON WAS BORN 2 DAYS LATER HE WAS NAMED AFTER ROBERT HE'S A JR TOO. HE'S NOW 1 YAERS OLD AND EVERYDAY THAT I LOOK AT HIM I SEE HIS DADDY. I MISS MY COUSIN AND I WISH HE WAS HERE TO BE A FATHER TO HIS SON AND A BIG BROTHER TO HIS LITTLE BROTHER SEMAJAY. HE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND ILL MAKE SURE HIS SON KNOWS WHO HE IS.