Searcy father speaks out after son was shot in the neck, police say accused gunman was previously deported
SEARCY, Ark. – A 16-year-old's life was forever changed after a bullet hit him in the neck while driving home.
Searcy police say they responded to his wrecked car around 11:30 p.m. Saturday and later arrested the man who was already deported from the country once in 2017.
Man arrested after Searcy teen shot in neck during Mother's Day weekend
Isaiah Toledo is an active soccer player and loves to fish, but his father, Antonio Toledo, said the teen will likely never enjoy those things the same way again.
'It's bad. He can be paralyzed for the rest of his life. He can only feel his chest up,' Antonio said.
Isaiah Toledo was driving home from a graduation party when his father said Isaiah was shot by someone he did not know. Searcy Police Chief Steve Hernandez posted a public release Monday.
'I would call it random. This 16-year-old definitely didn't deserve this,' Hernandez said.
Hernandez said when Searcy police officers responded to Toledo's crash in the 1000 block of West Academy Avenue, they found bullet casings in a nearby yard and arrested who they believed was Edgar Gameros of Batesville.
On Monday, police learned that was a false identity. They say 45-year-old Candelario Gameros-Ante used someone else's Social Security card to obtain an Arkansas driver's license.
'Mr. Gameros stated he thought it was the cartel coming for him cause the car was driving slow down the road, and that's when he fired the shots,' Hernandez stated.
'In his mind, I mean he (Isaiah) was showing respect to them,' Antonio said. 'He don't want somebody, just you, know out of the blue jump in the street or playing push and shove.'
Little Rock police investigating deadly Sunday night shooting
Antonio said his son was awake when paramedics flew him to Arkansas Children's Hospital and awake when doctors gave unfavorable updates. When he spoke to his brother and father, Isaiah told them, 'I'm done'.
'All his goals, his dreams was over just because some random person decided to, I don't know,' Antonio said, wiping tears and shaking his head.
Gameros-Ante is charged with committing a terroristic act and criminal impersonation. He is being held in the White County jail on a $1,000,000 bond.
Antonio said he hopes the judge is focused on preventing this from happening to another child. Meanwhile, his focus is on what he can do. As a contractor and business owner, Antonio may not be able to fix his son's condition, but he plans to fix the condition of his home for Isaiah's accessibility needs just as he's done for many homes before.
'He's a perfect, he was a perfect kid,' Toledo said. 'When I was in someone else's house, I was like I wish never in my life face something like that.'
The Toledo family knows they will need help from neighbors to get through this, and they welcome any assistance people can send.
Batesville man sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder
Isaiah is a Sophomore at Searcy High School and part of the soccer team competing in the state soccer tournament this week, so he has many people rooting for him.
Searcy Police say two other men in their twenties were arrested with Gameras on unrelated charges. They are on hold for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the White County Jail. Chief Hernandez said he was not informed if any of the three had previous federal charges apart from Gameros' previous deportation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LISTEN: Overwhelming number of reports impersonating Springfield police
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Springfield Police Department is warning the community, particularly in the Longmeadow area, about a phone scheme. Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield According to police, the scheme involves callers impersonating Springfield Police sergeants in an apparent attempt to defraud recipients. They said police have been getting inundated with reports from residents receiving calls from individuals falsely claiming to be members of the Springfield Police Department. The schemers are using the real names of both a retired and a currently serving Springfield police sergeant to appear credible. Authorities say no one has reported falling victim to the scheme, but residents have been contacting the police after receiving and hanging up on calls. In the audio file provided by the Springfield Police Department, the recording says they are a sergeant with the Springfield Police Department looking to speak with the person regarding a 'confidential legal matter' and leaves a callback number. The scheme appears to be targeting phone numbers in the Longmeadow area, with reports increasing over the past two days. Police are advising residents to hang up immediately if they receive such a call and not to call the number back. Individuals do not need to notify the police unless they have already provided money or sensitive information. In such cases, or if someone wants to verify the legitimacy of a call, they are urged to contact the Springfield Police Department at 413-787-6355. The Longmeadow Police Department is reminding residents that officers will never ask for payment of any kind over the phone and recommends the following to protect yourself from falling victim: Verify the caller's identity: Always request the full name, identification number, and contact information of the caller. Legitimate law enforcement officers will provide this information without hesitation. Refrain from sharing personal information: Avoid disclosing personal details, such as your Social Security number, bank account information, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive data over the phone. Be cautious of urgent or coercive tactics: Scammers often create a sense of urgency, coercing victims into immediate action. They may threaten arrest, fines, or legal consequences to pressure you into revealing information or making immediate payments. Take a step back, remain calm, and verify the authenticity of the call before making any decisions or taking action. Educate yourself and loved ones: Share this information with your friends, family, and vulnerable individuals within your community. By spreading awareness, we can collectively protect ourselves and prevent these scams from succeeding. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sharing an elected Louisiana leader's personal info could soon result in fines, jail time
A legislative proposal originally intended to provide an additional layer of security to judges and prosecutors who deal with violent criminals has been altered to shield a broad range of personal information about state elected officials in Louisiana. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) A legislative proposal originally intended to provide an additional layer of security to judges and prosecutors who deal with violent criminals has been altered to shield a broad range of personal information about state elected officials in Louisiana. Free speech and good government advocates are concerned officials could use the law, which will take effect unless the governor vetoes the proposal, to silence critics, punish journalists and keep unfavorable information out of the public's hands. Last week, the legislature gave final approval to House Bill 681 by Rep. Marcus Bryant, D-New Iberia, after Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, added last-minute amendments to include statewide elected officials, members of the Public Service Commission and state lawmakers under an existing state law that shields their personal information from being made public. The amended version of the bill passed the Senate on a 36-0 vote and the House on an 89-0 vote. The law prevents the elected officials' home addresses, phone numbers, personal email addresses, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, federal tax identification numbers, bank account numbers, credit and debit card numbers, license plate numbers from being published in government records or on a public website. Also protected under the law are marital records and birthdates. An official's church, the school or daycare their child attends and the employment location of their spouse, children or dependents would also be shielded. 'It's incredibly concerning and broad … in a way I cannot describe because I don't yet know how bad it's going to be,' said attorney Scott Sternberg, who works on First Amendment cases, adding that such prosecutions would likely be unconstitutional. If Gov. Jeff Landry allows the proposal to become law, the newly included elected officials could request their personal information be removed from public records. It could also be used to force someone to remove an online post with personal information about the elected officials. For example, the law could be wielded against somebody who raises concerns about conflicts of interest pertaining to the employment of an elected official's spouse or child. If that person does not comply, they can be sued and face misdemeanor charges that carry up to 90 days in prison, a $1,000 fine or both. The bill could allow the sealing of marital records to prevent the public from learning of allegations of abuse in a divorce proceeding. 'In Louisiana's constitution … we have decided the people are entitled to certain information, because … the people have learned to check up on the government every now and then,' Sternberg said. 'Whenever an exception [to public records law] passes … it limits the public's right to access,' Sternberg added. Broadening the scope of the bill without public debate troubles good governance advocates. 'Slipping such a significant public records exemption into a bill with little acknowledgment and no debate raises questions about what people are trying to hide and undermines transparency,' said Steven Procopio, president of Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. Lawmakers and other individuals involved in Bryant's legislation have not been willing to say how the last-minute amendments got into the bill. 'These bills are not mine. I'm just bringing them,' Bryant said in an interview, referring questions to Zach Daniels, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, who declined to comment for this report. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said he asked to have statewide elected officials added to the bill but not state lawmakers or Public Service Commission members. Temple said billboards bearing his home address have been put up around the state, prompting his request. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said he did not ask for the amendments but supports them. Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, D-Baton Rouge, posted on social media he had 'no clue' how PSC members were added, adding he did not support the legislation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Boston Globe
How scammers are using AI to steal college financial aid
'I just can't imagine how many people this is happening to that have no idea,' Brady said. The rise of artificial intelligence and the popularity of online classes have led to an explosion of financial aid fraud. Fake college enrollments have been surging as crime rings deploy 'ghost students' — chatbots that join online classrooms and stay just long enough to collect a financial aid check. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In some cases, professors discover almost no one in their class is real. Students get locked out of the classes they need to graduate as bots push courses over their enrollment limits. And victims of identity theft who discover loans fraudulently taken out in their names must go through months of calling colleges, the Federal Student Aid office and loan servicers to try to get the debt erased. Advertisement On Friday, the US Education Department introduced a temporary rule requiring students to show colleges a government-issued ID to prove their identity. It will apply only to first-time applicants for federal student aid for the summer term, affecting some 125,000 borrowers. The agency said it is developing more advanced screening for the fall. Advertisement 'The rate of fraud through stolen identities has reached a level that imperils the federal student aid program,' the department said in its guidance to colleges. An Associated Press analysis of fraud reports obtained through a public records request shows California colleges in 2024 reported 1.2 million fraudulent applications, which resulted in 223,000 suspected fake enrollments. Other states are affected by the same problem, but with 116 community colleges, California is a particularly large target. Criminals stole at least $11.1 million in federal, state, and local financial aid from California community colleges last year that could not be recovered, according to the reports. Colleges typically receive a portion of the loans intended for tuition, with the balance going directly to students for other expenses. Community colleges are targeted in part because their lower tuition means larger percentages of grants and loans go to borrowers. Scammers frequently use AI chatbots to carry out the fraud, targeting courses that are online and allow students to watch lectures and complete coursework on their own time. In January, Wayne Chaw started getting emails about a class he never signed up for at De Anza Community College, where he had taken coding classes a decade earlier. Identity thieves had obtained his Social Security number and collected $1,395 in financial aid in his name. The energy management class required students to submit a homework assignment to prove they were real. But someone wrote submissions impersonating Chaw, likely using a chatbot. 'This person is typing as me, saying my first and last name. ... It's very freaky when I saw that,' said Chaw. Advertisement The fraud involved a grant, not loans, so Chaw himself did not lose money. He called the Social Security Administration to report the identity theft, but after five hours on hold, he never got through to a person. As the Trump administration moves to dismantle the Education Department, federal cuts may make it harder to catch criminals and help victims of identity theft. In March, the Trump administration fired more than 300 people from the Federal Student Aid office, and the department's Office of Inspector General, which investigates fraud, has lost more than 20 percent of its staff through attrition and retirements since October. 'I'm just nervous that I'm going to be stuck with this,' Brady said. 'The agency is going to be so broken down and disintegrated that I won't be able to do anything, and I'm just going to be stuck with those $9,000' in loans. Criminal cases around the country offer a glimpse of the schemes' pervasiveness. In the past year, investigators indicted a man accused of leading a Texas fraud ring that used stolen identities to pursue $1.5 million in student aid. Another person in Texas pleaded guilty to using the names of prison inmates to apply for over $650,000 in student aid at colleges across the South and Southwest. And a person in New York recently pleaded guilty to a $450,000 student aid scam that lasted a decade. Brittnee Nelson of Shreveport, La., was bringing her daughter to day-care two years ago when she received a notification that her credit score had dropped 27 points. Advertisement Loans had been taken out in her name for colleges in California and Louisiana, she discovered. She canceled one before it was paid out, but it was too late to stop a loan of over $5,000 for Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Nelson runs her own housecleaning business and didn't go to college. She already was signed up for identity theft protection and carefully monitored her credit. Still, her debt almost went into collections before the loan was put in forbearance. She recently got the loans taken off her record after two years of effort. 'It's like if someone came into your house and robbed you,' she said. The federal government's efforts to verify borrowers' identity could help, she said. 'If they can make these hurdles a little bit harder and have these verifications more provable, I think that's really, really, really going to protect people in the long run,' she said.
