Puerto Rico’s San Juan (AP) According to authorities, a visitor from the U.S. mainland who was traveling to Puerto Rico to visit the Bad Bunny’s home was shot and killed early Sunday in the well-known beachside slum known as La Perla.
According to a police statement, the victim was identified as New York resident Kevin Mares, 25.
The incident occurred at a nightclub named Refuge for Mistreated Men in La Perla, a seaside town that has had a difficult time shedding its negative image, in the early hours of the morning.
In a phone interview, homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz stated that the shooting occurred when a group of people in the vicinity of Mares got into a fight, and one of them pulled out a gun, killing at least three persons, including Mares. Two La Perla residents, a brother and a sister in their mid-40s, were hurt and are still in the hospital.
Mares was an innocent bystander, according to Ruiz. They informed authorities that they were in Puerto Rico for one of Bad Bunny’s 30 shows, which have drawn tens of thousands of tourists to the U.S. territory. He was accompanied by three other companions.
After being shot in the left side of his belly, Mares was sent to the biggest public hospital in Puerto Rico, where he passed away, according to authorities.
According to Ruiz, police do not currently have a description of the gunman or know what the individuals were fighting over. “We don’t have much information,” he stated.
Mare’s three companions were also from New York, Ruiz noted. Their hometowns were not with him.
On Sunday, Miguel Romero, the mayor of San Juan, informed reporters that he would share footage from local security cameras and that Mares’ partner had chosen not to accompany him to La Perla.
Even though a municipal rule established in 2023 stipulates that permitted companies in San Juan can only serve or sell alcohol from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and up to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday if Monday is a holiday, police stated the event happened at 4:13 a.m.
La Perla is situated on the edges of Old San Juan, a tourist-friendly historic district. The shantytown, which has a population of a few hundred, was previously the main heroin distribution hub in Puerto Rico and was notorious for its violence.
The hamlet used to have a sign saying, “Not open to visitors,” and police used to avoid it. Don’t go in.
Hundreds of federal officials raided the slum in 2011 and detained dozens of people, including a prominent community leader who was eventually found guilty, but the violence subsided.
After Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee included the area in their blockbuster song, Despacito, it became more safer and friendlier.
However, occasional acts of violence continue.
Three visitors were stabbed in February 2023, according to authorities, after someone urged them to stop recording inside the neighborhood.
Then, in April 2024, a 24-year-old Delaware tourist was slain and his body was burned after police claimed that he and a friend had been attacked after buying drugs. According to the police, despite being instructed not to, the victims were attempting to capture photos of La Perla.
Compared to 325 killings over the same period last year, the 3.2 million-person island has reported 277 killings so far this year.
