Latest news with #KevinMares
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
American tourist shot and killed in Caribbean vacation hotspot: 'Left an unfillable void in our lives'
A tourist from New York was killed while visiting Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny concert, according to police. 25-year-old Kevin Mares was shot in the left side of his abdomen early Sunday morning in the La Perla area of San Juan, Puerto Rico, which has a history of violence. The shooting took place in the early morning hours on Sunday at a night hangout spot called "Refuge for Mistreated Men" in the coastal community. Several people who were near Mares got into an argument, resulting in one person pulling out a gun and shooting at least three others, which included the New Yorker. Mares was taken to a local hospital but died, homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz said. Two other people, a brother and sister in their mid-40s, remain in the hospital. Ruiz said Mares was in San Juan to see Bad Bunny perform in concert, where his 30-show residency recently began. Officials don't have many details from the shooting and don't yet have a description of the suspect. "We have very little information," Ruiz said. La Perla was once known as a major distribution hub for heroin, which brought high rates of violence to the area. In 2011, federal agents raided the shantytown and made dozens of arrests. A GoFundMe raising money for Mares' funeral describes him as a "deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him." "His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones. Kevin had a bright future ahead, with plans to propose to his girlfriend of six years this fall, and he was always creating memories with those closest to him," Mares said. "Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void in our lives."
UPI
8 hours ago
- UPI
Stray bullet kills N.Y. man in Puerto Rico for Bad Bunny concert
Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A 25-year-old New York man shot and killed in Puerto Rico while attending a Bad Bunny concert. Queens resident Kevin Mares was fatally shot Sunday night at a San Juan nightclub in the La Perla neighborhood of the commonwealth U.S. island's capital city a little after 4 a.m. local time, according to police. Officials said the East Elmhurst man was an innocent bystander when gunfire erupted. A 46-year-old local man and his sister, 45, were both injured but survived. The incident took place at the nightclub Refugio de Hombres Maltratados in the La Perla neighborhood, an area known for crime in the coastal town. Investigators said an argument broke out and a person pulled out a gun and started shooting. "They were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time," Claudia Saenz, a family friend, told the Daily News. Meanwhile, no arrests have been made and no suspects named. Local police, according to Det. Arnaldo Ruiz, were working with "very little" information about the incident. In a statement posted to social media, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was heartbroken that his life was "tragically ripped away due to gun violence in Puerto Rico." "Condolences and prayers are with all of Kevin's loved ones grieving this unimaginable loss," stated the embattled Democrat-turned-Independent mayor currently up for re-election in a hotly contested mayoral race. According to witnesses in recorded reports, Mares attended Saturday night's Bad Bunny concert in San Juan with his girlfriend and friends. According to Mare's mother, he was planning to propose marriage in the fall to his girlfriend of seven years. The family, meanwhile, is working with Puerto Rican authorities to return Mare's remains part of an active investigation in America's island territory, which is reportedly estimated to cost the grieving family at least $23,000 with a GoFundMe page setup to aid in the process.
New York Post
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Father of Kevin Mares, NYC man shot dead in Puerto Rico, breaks silence: ‘We're still in pain'
The grieving dad of US tourist Kevin Mares — the New Yorker who was shot dead while on a trip to Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny concert — spoke out on Monday for the first time since the tragic incident. 'It's very hard,' a heartbroken Hector Mares told The Post. 'Yesterday was a hard day. We're still in pain. He was a beautiful person.' Kevin Mares, 25, on Sunday was partying at a bar in La Perla, a shantytown on the outskirts of Old San Juan when shots rang out during a dispute — with the Queens resident and other bystanders hit by the bullets. 4 Kevin Mares, 25, was in Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny concert when he was shot and killed by stay bullets. Facebook He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 'Preliminarily, it was a dispute that had nothing to do with this tourist which arose in front of this business in La Perla,' local police Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz told Puerto Rico's El Nuevo Dia news outlet. Mares was in Puerto Rico with his longtime girlfriend, Angy Nicole Arguello, for a Bad Bunny show, part of the rapper's 30-day residency on the Caribbean island. According to his family, Mares had planned to propose to his girlfriend of seven years. 4 Kevin Mares planned to propose to girlfriend Angy Arguello before he was tragically killed in Puerto Rico on Sunday. GoFundMe 4 Kevin Mares was in Puerto Rico to see popular rapper Bad Bunny before he was tragically killed at a local bar.'I'm just devastated,' Arguello told the Daily News. 'Like, I can't believe it. I'm in denial.' She added: 'Every time he'd walk into a room, it would light up … And he was honestly a genuine, trustworthy person. Any problem that I had, he always had my back.' Arguello took to Instagram to post moving memorials to her slain beau. 'My love, I love you,' she wrote. 'I miss you so much. Why, God, did you take him away from me?' The slain man's father has now set up an online fundraiser on to help raise funds to bring Mares' body back to the Big Apple, with the site raising more than $31,000 by midday Monday. 4 La Perla, a neighborhood outside Old San Juan in Puerto Rico, where Kevin Mares was killed on Sunday. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'The wound is very fresh,' Mares' cousin, who identified herself only as Christina, told The Post. 'We just want the body to come home. That's what we're working for. 'The family's exhausted,' she said. 'As of now they want to find out what's the process, what's with the criminal part of it, why aren't they releasing the body? The family just wants the process to speed up.' — Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New York man shot, killed while visiting Puerto Rico for Bad Bunny concert: Reports
A 25-year-old New York man was fatally shot Aug. 10 in Puerto Rico while visiting for a Bad Bunny concert, according to multiple reports. Police in Puerto Rico identified Kevin Mares as the victim in an early morning shooting in San Juan in which Mares appeared to be a bystander, according to The Associated Press and CBS News. Police reportedly said Mares was shot at a club in La Perla, an impoverished neighborhood near old San Juan that has had a reputation for crime. At least two others were injured in the shooting, according to reports. Late Aug. 10, police still hadn't identified a suspect in the shooting. USA TODAY has contacted local police. NY man was visiting Puerto Rico for Bad Bunny concert, family says Mares' family said on a GoFundMe page that he was visiting the island to see Bad Bunny, the famous reggaeton artist who has scheduled 30 concerts in his native Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny is in the midst of his "No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí" concert series at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan that has drawn American tourists to the island. The singer's next set of shows is slated for Aug. 15-17. La Perla, where the shooting took place, is a seaside community along the northern outskirts of Old San Juan. The area has made headlines for similar crimes involving tourists. It was also made famous after being featured in the music video for "Despacito," a 2017 song by Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. Puerto Rico shooting victim was planning to propose to girlfriend, family says Mares was planning to propose to his girlfriend of six years in the fall, his family said on a GoFundMe page. "Kevin Mares was a deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him," the page said. "His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones." "Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void in our lives," it added. Mares hoped to become a veterinarian, his mother, Sandra Mares, said in a social media post. "Unfortunately he was not able to complete his dream," she said. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NY man killed in Puerto Rico before Bad Bunny concert: Reports
International Business Times
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- International Business Times
Who Was Kevin Mares? American Tourist Shot Dead While Visiting Puerto Rico to Watch Bad Bunny Concert
A U.S. tourist in Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny concert was shot dead in a notoriously dangerous San Juan area on Sunday, authorities said. Kevin Mares, 25, was shot twice before he died early Sunday in La Perla, a seaside slum near Old San Juan, while he was on the island to attend Bad Bunny's concert series. Mares, a committed veterinary student from New York, was planning to propose to his longtime girlfriend this fall, his heartbroken mother told the New York Daily News. Mares is believed to have been an innocent bystander when a fight broke out between two people nearby and one of them suddenly opened fire. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Kevin Mares Instagram One of the men allegedly pulled a gun and began shooting, hitting at least three people. Mares was struck on the left side of his abdomen and taken to the island's main public hospital, where he died. Mares had traveled to Puerto Rico with three friends to watch the famed local rapper perform as part of a 30-show residency that has attracted thousands of American visitors to the Caribbean island and U.S. territory. Kevin Mares with hsi girlfriend Instagram The 25-year-old from East Elmhurst, Queens, was juggling two part-time jobs while pursuing his veterinary studies, according to his family, CBS News reported. "We want justice," his mother Sandra Mares told the outlet. Mares had been eagerly looking forward to the trip to Puerto Rico with his girlfriend for months and was an avid Bad Bunny fan, his grieving parents shared. Loved ones described Mares as "a deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him" in a GoFundMe set up to help raise money to bring his body back home. Kevin Mares GoFundMe "His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones," the fundraising page read. "Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void in our lives," loved ones wrote on the page. Tributes Pour In CBS reported that Mares is also survived by his 15-year-old brother. Local police told NBC 6 that the gunman is still on the loose. "We have very little information," said San Juan detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz. Kevin Mares with his girlfriend Instagram La Perla has carried a long-standing reputation for crime and violence spanning decades. Once a hub for drug trafficking, the area was considered so dangerous for visitors that police largely avoided it and even put up warning signs advising people to stay away. Although a large federal raid in 2011 reduced some of the problems, the neighborhood remains unsafe. In 2023, two visitors were stabbed after somebody got angry that they were recording video there, and in 2024, a tourist from Delaware was killed and set on fire following a drug deal. Mares' family is coordinating with local officials in Puerto Rico to return his body to Queens for funeral preparations, according to CBS. They have also called on anyone with knowledge about the shooting to speak up.
