I hate that we live in a world where we have to be wary of strangers. I am generally a trusting person, but there are plenty of reasons not to be. When I was fresh out of college and working for a local magazine, I was handing them out on a corner just outside city hall when an older man called me by name. I forgot I was wearing a name tag from a previous event and ended up having to make polite chatter. We actually talked for a while as I waited for my colleague to meet me, and as the man’s bus approached, he stuck out his hand for a parting handshake.
I hesitantly took it, and he yanked me in for a hug and attempted to kiss my cheek. It was terrifying, but it could have gone so much worse, and it has for so many others, including both women and men.
A Kentucky father found this out the hard way on a night out when he was approached by three strangers.
According to the New York Post, Trey Iles and his girlfriend were at a Circle K buying snacks after a night out around 2:30 a.m. on May 9, 2026. It was then that Kortney Alford, 30, Terry Moses, 26, and Tiance Combs, 30, reportedly called him over to their car and offered him a flower for Mother’s Day. An argument ensued, and Trey walked away toward a bar. Then two of them pulled up at the bar and opened fire on him at close range, shooting him 15 times, WXIX reported.
Miraculously, Trey survived and is in the hospital recuperating.
His aunt, Heidi Iles, told the Post that he was shot and hit five times in one ankle, two or three in the other, and was shot in the arm and near the throat.
Terry Iles, Trey’s dad, has set up a GoFundMe account to help offset some of the hospital costs as Trey recovers. “Trey is a son, father, a loved one, and someone who did not deserve this,” he wrote on the fundraiser page.
He also went on to say that his girlfriend stayed with him after the shooting and helped to save his life.
“We are incredibly thankful for her. Without her, he might not have survived, as well as the medical team fighting for him, and everyone who has shown love and support during this devastating time,” the dad wrote.
The motive behind the shooting is still unknown.
Police are still searching for the three suspects, with a full manhunt underway for each of them. Combs is facing attempted murder charges, Moses faces a complicity to attempted murder charge, and Alford is wanted for facilitating attempted murder.
Police warn that the suspects are considered armed and dangerous and ask that if they are seen or their whereabouts are known, the person should call Detective Jason Gabbard at (859) 292-3680.
