Searcy father speaks out after son was shot in the neck, police say accused gunman was previously deported
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.'
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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.
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