Kevin Mares, a Queens resident, had traveled to the island together with his longtime girlfriend, Angy Nicole Arguello, to see the reggaeton star carry out as a part of a month-long residency. The couple had been collectively for seven years, and kin stated he deliberate to suggest throughout the journey.

On Sunday evening, Mares was at a bar in La Perla, a historic neighborhood alongside the coast of Old San Juan, when gunfire erupted throughout a dispute close by. Police stated Mares was not concerned within the argument that preceded the capturing.

“Preliminarily, it was a dispute that had nothing to do with this tourist, which arose in front of this business in La Perla,” Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz instructed Puerto Rico’s El Nuevo Día.

Mares and different bystanders have been struck by bullets. He was rushed to a hospital however was pronounced useless shortly after arrival.

“I’m just devastated,” Arguello instructed the Daily News. “I can’t believe it. I’m in denial.” She described Mares as a loyal companion and a pal who introduced heat to each room. “Any problem I had, he always had my back.”

In the times after the capturing, Arguello shared tributes on Instagram, writing, “My love, I love you. I miss you so much. Why, God, did you take him away from me?” alongside images of the couple.

The Mares household launched a GoFundMe marketing campaign to assist cowl the price of returning his physique to New York. By Monday afternoon, donations had exceeded $31,000.

Christina, a cousin who declined to provide her final title, stated the household continues to be ready for his stays to be launched and is annoyed by the delay. “We just want the body to come home. That’s what we’re working for.”

The investigation into the capturing is ongoing.