Bad Bunny Concert Trip Turns Tragic as New York Tourist Shot Dead in San Juan

A vet student from New York, who was in Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny show, got shot and died early Sunday in La Perla, an area known for its high crime, the police said.

Kevin Mares, 25, from East Elmhurst, Queens, went there with some friends and his girlfriend to see the show, a part of the singer's 30-night event in San Juan. The cops think Mares was just a random person there when a fight broke out close by and someone started shooting. He got hit in his belly and side, the police noted, according to NBC Miami.

Mares was rushed to a hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. Two local residents were also wounded and remain hospitalized.

Trip Turns Tragic

Mares' family told CBS News he had been working two part-time jobs while studying at LaGuardia Community College. He had planned to propose to his girlfriend of six years this fall. "We want justice," said his mother, Sandra Mares, speaking through a translator.

Loved ones described him in a fundraising appeal as "a deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him." The page also said his "wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family" made him a "pillar of strength" to those close to him.

The family plans to take his body back to Queens to lay him to rest.

La Perla sees a lot of violence in the past years.

The gunshots rang out in a place that has been dealing with crime for many decades.

The shooting incident happened in a zone long hit hard by crime. Known for its open drug selling, La Perla was a place cops stayed away from. It even had signs up that told people not from there to keep out.

While a large federal operation in 2011 reduced some of the violence, serious incidents have continued. In 2023, two tourists got stabbed when locals did not like them taking videos. In 2024, a man from Delaware was killed and set on fire after a bad drug deal.

Police have not identified a suspect in Mares' killing. "We have very little information," said San Juan police Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz. The investigation remains ongoing.

A Family's Plea

Mares' relatives have urged anyone with information to contact authorities. "Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void," they wrote in their public appeal.

Sandra Mares said her son had been looking forward to this trip for months. He had sent her videos from the pool party earlier in the day, smiling and enjoying the view from his hotel room.

The family hopes the performer will acknowledge Mares during the concert series. "He was a massive fan," Sandra said.

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