Death of Robert Abdelkader: $20,000 reward offered for information in murder of 28-year-old caterer in Compton

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) — Nearly three weeks after a 28-year-old caterer was shot and killed at a Compton graduation party, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is offering a $20,000 reward in hopes of find the killer.

Robert Abdelkader III was fatally shot on Friday, June 7. He was working at a college graduation party at a home in the 800 block of E Greenleaf Boulevard when the shooting broke out.

“I’m hurting,” Abdelkader’s mother, Inez Tootie Adkins, said at a news conference Wednesday. “This has a huge impact on everyone. It’s a terrible loss. He was a great kid, a community servant… just doing the right thing. He was doing the right things.”

The Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau said there were between 200 and 300 people at the party. Five other people were also shot, but their lives are not in danger.

“The shooters were seen fleeing the scene through a back alley,” LASD Lt. Omar Camacho said. “Our homicide detectives believe there were multiple gunshots during the incident and that Robert was an innocent victim of this senseless act of violence. Our investigators also believe there were several witnesses who witnessed the the pool party and who might have seen the suspects or known the suspects’ identities.”

Although investigators have recovered some video from that night on social media, including one showing partygoers fleeing the scene, they need more, and Abdelkader’s family needs answers.

“Not only did I lose my son, but we lost our best friend,” said Robert Abdelkader Sr., the victim’s father. “He was a magnificent soul. A wonderful child. Never any issues or problems. He worked very hard to establish himself.”

Abdelkader’s mother hopes that such a situation will not happen again.

“Let my son be the last. Let’s get these killers off the streets and we need to speak up. Someone saw something, a lot of people saw something,” Adkins said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. You can also submit an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting http://lacrimestoppers.org.