Bad Bunny Fan Shot Dead in Puerto Rico After Trip to See Concert
By Avery Sinclair. Can’t wait to see how this turns out. Here is the blunt, no-nonsense version: a young man who flew to Puerto Rico to see Bad Bunny was shot and killed at a pool party hours before the artist’s concert, and his grieving family is scrambling to bring him home.
Kevin Mares, 24, traveled from New York with his girlfriend and friends specifically to attend a Bad Bunny show in San Juan on Sunday. According to Kevin’s mother, Sandra, who spoke through a translator, he was shot early in the morning at a pool party in La Perla, a neighborhood next to Old San Juan that has had safety and crime headlines in the past.
Video Kevin reportedly sent to his mother shows him enjoying the trip moments earlier. Police and local reports indicate Kevin was an apparent innocent bystander when an argument between two people escalated and one of them produced a gun. Kevin was struck in the abdomen and the side, and he later died from his injuries. Local law enforcement says the shooter was still at large as investigators worked the scene.
There are two things you should note here that separate facts from the usual rumor mill. First, multiple outlets including a Miami NBC affiliate reported specifics about the wound locations, which match information relayed by the family. Second, Kevin’s mother confirmed the travel plan and his fan status directly to sources, and the family has established a GoFundMe to cover repatriation costs for his body. Those two corroborations keep this tragedy in the realm of verifiable news rather than hearsay.
Kevin was not a celebrity, and he was not a random social media icon either. His family describes him as a dedicated son and partner who enjoyed gardening and cooking and was enrolled at LaGuardia Community College studying veterinary technology. That human detail matters, especially when headlines can easily reduce people to soundbites like “Bad Bunny fan killed” and nothing more.
The context is awful but relevant. La Perla is a colorful but tense area known to visitors because of its proximity to old tourist routes. Concert-related travel inevitably draws crowds, and there are often late-night parties and unofficial gatherings. That environment does not excuse violence, of course, but it helps explain how someone traveling to enjoy a show ended up in a fatal crossfire when tempers flared.
The family cancelled their plans to attend the concert following the shooting. Sandra told reporters she hopes Bad Bunny will acknowledge Kevin during the show, a request that is as much about mourning as it is about public recognition. Whether the artist will do so is unclear, and nothing indicates he had any involvement beyond being the reason Kevin made the trip.
The police investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been announced and authorities describe the shooting as the result of a dispute between individuals, with Kevin hit as a bystander. A shooter remains at large according to initial reports, and local law enforcement has been canvassing the area and reviewing any video evidence available from the pool party and nearby cameras.
This is a sad reminder that travel to high-profile events can still carry real risks, even when you are just a fan trying to have a good time. Kevin’s family is left with grief and logistical headaches, including raising funds to return his remains to the United States. That GoFundMe is public and being managed by the family to cover expenses, a small practical aftermath to a life cut short.
Expect updates as investigators release more information and authorities seek the person who pulled the trigger. For now, this remains a fatal incident tied to a local dispute with an innocent victim who had flown miles to celebrate music.
And yes, somebody should probably check the safety plans around major concerts when unofficial pre-parties are happening in risky neighborhoods. That is not a complaint; it is a very basic public-safety observation.
That’s today’s dose of reality. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, NBC Miami
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
