A 25-year-old New York man, Kevin Mares, was visiting Puerto Rico with his girlfriend to attend a Bad Bunny concert. While at a local bar, he was killed by a stray bullet, with two others suffering gunshot wounds.
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As reported by the New York Post, citing local media outlets, the incident occurred on Sunday, August 10. At a bar in La Perla neighborhood, called El Refugio Para Hombres Maltratados — The Refuge For Mistreated Men in English —, gunmen opened fire at around 4:15 a.m.
Three men, including Mares, were shot. All three were transported to a local hospital. While siblings Miguel and Keila Melendez Beltran, both 46, are expected to survive, Kevin Mares was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
One arrest was made in connection with the shooting. Kenneth Giovanni Estrada Melendez, believed to be the gunmen’s intended target, was arrested on Monday, August 11, for allegedly selling drugs to an undercover cop back in 2022. He is related to the two surviving victims.
Victim Planned To Propose, Family Mourns
Kevin Mares, a veterinary student, was in Puerto Rico alongside his girlfriend, Angy Nicole Arguello, to attend a Bad Bunny concert. It was revealed that Mares was planning to propose to his girlfriend before he was shot and killed.
Arguello wrote “I love you, my angel” on her Instagram stories following Mares’ tragic death. In a follow-up story, she attached a picture of both of them, saying, “My love, I love you. I miss you so much. God, why did you take him away from me?”
The grieving woman talked with the Daily News, saying that she was “devastated” and “in denial.”
“Every time he’d walk into a room, it would light up,” Arguello added. “And he was honestly a genuine, trustworthy person. Any problem that I had, he always had my back.”
Mares’ father, Hector Mares, broke his silence by speaking with The Post, saying, “It’s very hard. Yesterday was a hard day. We’re still in pain. He was a beautiful person.”
A GoFundMe was set up to raise funds to help bring Kevin Mares’ body back to New York City.
“Kevin Mares was a deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him,” Hector wrote in the fundraiser. “His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones.”