Kevin Mares, a 25-year-old US tourist visiting Puerto Rico for Bad Bunny’s residency, was fatally shot in La Perla, a popular seaside shantytown. The shooting occurred during predawn hours at the “Shelter for Mistreated Men” in La Perla, a coastal community that has struggled to shed its dark reputation. Homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz said that the shooting took place when several people near Mares began arguing and one pulled out a gun and shot at least three people, including Mares. Two other men who live in La Perla were injured and remain hospitalized.
Mares was an innocent bystander, with three other friends who told police they were in Puerto Rico for one of Bad Bunny’s 30 concerts. He was shot on the left side of his abdomen and was taken to Puerto Rico’s largest public hospital, where he died. Police don’t yet know what the people were arguing about or have a description of the shooter.
La Perla is located on the outskirts of a historic district popular with tourists known as Old San Juan. A couple hundred people live in the shantytown, which once served as Puerto Rico’s biggest distribution point for heroin and was known for its violence. However, isolated, violent incidents persist, such as in February 2023 when three tourists were stabbed after police told them to stop filming inside the community. In April 2024, a 24-year-old tourist from Delaware was killed and his body set on fire after police said he and a friend were attacked following a drug purchase.
