LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - Loved ones are remembering a 42-year-old father, gunned down while sitting in his car in La Mesa.
“Anything I ever did, my brother was there for it,” said a tearful Adrian Miller.
For Miller, it’s been a flood of emotions since learning of the murder of his big brother, Roderick Michael Stroman, who went by ‘Mike.’
“My brother was my everything. He taught me everything I know,” said Miller.
On Saturday night, Stroman spent the night with friends at a friend's apartment near Waite Street and Violet Street. They made dinner, and past 9:30 p.m., a friend tells ABC 10News, Stroman went out and sat in his Mercedes to listen to music.
Just past midnight, police say someone shot into the driver's side window, hitting Stroman in the upper body. Stroman would die at the scene.
Police say the shooter drove off in a dark-colored car.
"My grief is just pain. I have anger because I don't know why someone would have the need to take my brother’s life,” said Miller.
Miller calls his brother a kind, caring man, a fatherly figure who helped raise him.
“He was my protector,” said Miller.
Stroman moved to San Diego from Florida four years ago for a job as a machine operator in a warehouse.
The motive for the shooting that claimed his life remains a mystery.
“He didn't bother anybody. He was a good person to be around. He went to work and came back and played basketball,” said Miller.
Miller says his brother was preparing to return to Florida, where his 5-year-old daughter lives.
“He adored her. She was his princess … He was on his way home so he could continue to raise his daughter,” said Miller.
Miller is now making an appeal for tips on behalf of a devastated family that includes 16 siblings and two children.
“He was easily loved and didn't deserve that … We want justice. We want justice served,” said Miller.
LMPD believes the shooter specifically targeted Stroman; however, their exact relationship and what led to Stroman being a target are still under investigation.
LMPD is urging anyone with information about the incident to contact the department at (619) 667-1400. Alternatively, individuals can provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers' toll-free tip line at (888) 580-TIPS or online.
