LONG BEACH >> A Long Beach man was arrested for stabbing a teacher in front of two dozen of her students Friday in a Long Beach park, officials said.

Steven Brown, 50, the father of the slain woman’s grandchildren, was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the stabbing Friday afternoon.

Kellye Taylor, 53, was in Orizaba Park across the street from Huntington Academy, at 2935 E. Spaulding St., watching her students play when a man, later identified as Brown, approached her and stabbed her in the neck, according to Pamela Huffman, Taylor’s younger sister who also works at the school.

Huffman said her sister had custody of her grandchildren, which had caused friction with Brown.

Huffman said her sister and two other teachers were in the park around 1:30 Friday afternoon watching as the children played on a jungle gym, part of a weekly outing at the school called “Fun Friday.” After Taylor was stabbed, some of the children ran back to the school and told Huffman, whose family owns and operates the school.

“How could they do something like this in front of these babies,” Huffman said. “All I could do was run to her. I saw her slip away. I knew she wasn’t going to make it.”

Taylor was a teacher and aide who taught at all levels of the small K-6 school.

“What am I going to tell my mother?” Huffman said. The women’s mother is Carrie Bryant, the director of the school who also owns Creative Arts Preschool.

Huffman said Taylor has three children and a husband.

On Friday afternoon Huffman was directing parents who were picking up their children, telling them to go in through the back instead of the front of the school. Parents were exclaiming shock as their small children were describing what had happened.

“Something told me I should’ve come in and volunteered today,” said one father as he picked up his child. He hugged Huffman and expressed his concern for Huffman and her family.

Counselors will be made available to students and staff Monday when school resumes, Huffman said.

“These babies are not going to want to go back to that park,” she said. “That was our park. Our park. Now what are we going to do?”

As Huffman hugged two students as they left, one little boy said, “We’re going to pray for Miss Kellye.”

Brown was booked into Long Beach Jail and is being held on $1 million bail.

The case is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Hugo Cortes and Peter Lackovic. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA and a tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org

Contact Beatriz E. Valenzuela at 562-499-1466.