Family of Queens man fatally shot in La Perla, Puerto Rico speaks out
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (WABC) -- A mother and father in Queens are mourning the death of their beloved son, 25-year-old Kevin Mares, who was shot and killed while he was visiting Puerto Rico during a trip to see Bad Bunny in concert.
Now, the Mares family's primary focus is to bring his body home.
"I don't know where the investigation is going ... this is not too important to us. We just want our son back," said Sandra Mares, Kevin's mother.
Kevin was among the expected 500,000 surge of visitors traveling to Puerto Rico amid Bad Bunny's sold-out 30-concert residency, titled "No me quiero ir de aquí."
Kevin was fatally shot early Sunday morning in La Perla, the infamous settlement on the outskirts of Old San Juan's protective sea wall.
The night before, he shared video of a beautiful beach view and pool party at his hotel -- but it was when he and some friends wandered off into La Perla that they found themselves in danger.
La Perla once had a sign warning visitors to avoid the area. The small community has struggled to shed its reputation of violence and drug trafficking.
Police say Mares was an innocent bystander who was caught up in a sudden violent altercation.
"They were walking, and then across the street, it was like a bunch of bunch of people, arguing and they start fighting each other. So one of them, they took out a gun. So he starts shooting, like random," said his mother, Sandra Mares.
"My son was across the street and he got shot in the abdomen," added his father, Hector Mares.
Detectives say that two local residents were also wounded in the shooting.
The Mares family desperately wants Kevin's body returned home to Queens as quickly as possible.
The Puerto Rican government has offered to send them the body and cover the cost, but the family has been told the earliest he may return is at the end of this week.
For now, he remains in Puerto Rico as investigators continue their work.
Kevin's parents are originally from Mexico but he was born and raised in Queens, with one younger brother.
He loved animals, like his dog, Jessie, and wanted to be a veterinarian. He was studying at LaGuardia Community College.
"He got a lot of dreams. He was working as a vet technician. And at the same time he was studying," added his father.
He had been dating his girlfriend for several years.
"He was about to propose to her, this fall. Yeah. He wants to do something special. He shared that with us," said his mother.
Kevin's girlfriend is devastated by his death. "She says she cannot handle this," his mother told Eyewitness News.
His girlfriend was in Puerto Rico with him, but stayed at the hotel after the party while he and her brother and a friend ventured out -- something his parents say they'd warned him not to do.
"We told him just stay in the hotel," his father said.
"But they're young. When you're young, sometimes you don't think," his mother added.
"He was a lovely son. He cared. He cared about all of us, his family, friends. He has a lot of friends who are really going to miss him, too."
She asks also that anyone with information on the shooting come forward.
"We just heard that nobody wants to talk over there. Nobody wants to say something ... you can be anonymous. You can find a way to say something," she urged.
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