Kevin Toledo (pictured right), a Miami-Dade College student studying nursing and working as a security guard, was considering joining the military.
Wednesday night, his stunned friends and family mourned his death by gathering in the darkness outside his family's home in Little Havana, calling him "a good man" and "a brother." Tears were everywhere. His friend Ken Shika is now charged with first degree murder in his death. Police say they got into a drunken brawl. Shika, a Marine Reserve Sergeant who did two tours in Iraq, shot his friend in the back, according to police.
"This is, in fact, a tragedy all the way around,” says Roy Rutland, spokesperson for the usually tight-lipped Miami-Dade police. “We have two families each who has lost a son. And we have lost an American soldier who is now being charged with first degree murder and is looking at spending the rest of his life in prison.”
Police said the trouble started at the Booby Trap, a strip club off the Palmetto near Doral, after a day of shopping and drinking together. Police describe Toledo as the aggressor. They said it was Toledo who got unruly in the strip club and got kicked out, but continued getting angry, taking it out on Shika. Criminal records show Toledo has an arrest record involving drunk and disorderly conduct.
When they drove a short distance away, police said, Shika pulled over to try to get Toledo to calm down as Toledo pounded the inside of Shika’s car. Eventually, they got out and fought. That's when Shika went to his trunk, got out a gun, and shot his friend in the back, police say. In fact, a witness said he heard more than one shot.
"All I heard, like, two shots,” said Daniel Roberts. "Like, ‘pow wow’!"
Police detained and questioned one or two other soldiers who were with Shika and Toledo. Little is known about their involvement but no one else was arrested.
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Toledo’s friends said they are planning his funeral for Friday.
