A 25-year-old music fan was shot just hours before he was due to see Bad Bunny perform, leaving his girlfriend heartbroken as police scrambled to find the killer.
The tourist was in Puerto Rico for the star’s blockbuster residency shows when violence erupted in the early hours of Sunday.
Cops identified the victim as Kevin Mares, from New York, who was visiting the island with three friends.
The shooting unfolded around 4:13 am at a nightspot called “Refuge for Mistreated Men” in La Perla, a seaside community on the edge of Old San Juan.
Police said Mares was caught in the crossfire when an argument between several people turned violent, according to the Associated Press.
“We have very little information,” homicide detective Sergeant Arnaldo Ruiz told AP.
He said one person pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting at least three people, including Mares.
A local brother and sister in their mid-40s were also wounded and remain in the hospital.
Mares was rushed to the island’s largest public hospital after being shot in the left side of his abdomen.
Doctors were tragically unable to save him and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Mares’ family said that after attending the Bad Bunny concert Saturday night, he and his friends spent the evening out before leaving their resort in Old San Juan for a nightclub in La Perla.
“Across the street, there was a bunch of people, and then they started arguing, something, and some guy, he had a gun, took it out and start shooting,” his father, Hector Mares, told CBS.
Kevin’s parents learned of his death in a gut-wrenching call from his girlfriend early Sunday.
“I said, ‘What happened?’ She said, ‘I’m sorry. We lost him,'” Hector recalled.
“Whoever did this, I mean, it’s like he took from us a piece of us, you know?” Kevin’s mother, Sandra Mares, said.
Kevin grew up in Queens and lived in East Elmhurst with his parents and 15-year-old brother.
Crime context:
He was studying to become a veterinarian and juggled two part-time jobs while pursuing his degree. His family said he loved to cook and belt out karaoke.
A devoted Bad Bunny fan, Mares had been counting down the days to the Puerto Rico trip with his girlfriend and friends.
“Every time Bad Bunny comes here, they go to most all of his concerts,” Sandra said.
With the killer still on the loose, his parents are urging anyone with information to speak up.
“We want justice,” Sandra said.
The Mares family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of bringing Kevin’s body back to Queens so they can lay him to rest.
According to Ruiz, Kevin Mares’ friends told police they had flown in for one of Bad Bunny’s 30 concerts, which have drawn tens of thousands of visitors.
The detective confirmed Mares was an innocent bystander of the shooting.
Officers do not yet know what sparked the deadly fight, and they have no description of the shooter.
San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero said security footage from the area will be shared with investigators.
He also revealed Mares’ girlfriend had chosen not to go to La Perla with him that night.
The shooting happened despite city rules limiting alcohol sales to 1 am on weeknights and 2 am on weekends or before holidays.
La Perla, once Puerto Rico’s most notorious drug hub, has tried to shed its dangerous image in recent years.
The neighborhood gained global fame after featuring in the music video for Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s hit “Despacito.”
But sporadic violence still plagues the area.
In February 2023, three tourists were stabbed after being told to stop filming inside the community.
In April 2024, a tourist from Delaware was killed and set on fire after police said he and a friend tried to take photos despite warnings.
Puerto Rico has recorded 277 killings so far this year, down from 325 during the same period in 2024.
KYLIE Jenner fans believe she may have secretly split from actor Timothée Chalamet after a string of “clues” online.
The Hollywood power couple have been dating since 2023, but have made efforts to largely keep their relationship away from both the spotlight and The Kardashians reality show.
However, they have supported each other at a series of events, taking photos together on red carpets and appearing at awards ceremonies including the Golden Globes.
They’ve also been seen enjoying date nights at Beyoncé concerts and the US Open,
However, as Kylie celebrated her 28th birthday with loved ones over the weekend, Timothée was noticeably absent from the event.
Kylie has since posted Instagram Stories showing she’s been listening to break-up anthems, including Jeff Buckley’s Lover, You Should’ve Come Over and Labi Saffre’s Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying.
On the Labi Saffre post, she didn’t acknowledge why she was sharing, she just wrote: “And don’t come for me with the volume it’s connected to my car speakers.”
Fans recognised she posted break-up songs before after her split with Travis Scott, and believes it’s a sign that she has called time with Timothée.
Sharing theories on Reddit, one fan wrote: “Obviously could mean nothing, but I don’t post break up songs casually myself. Hoping it’s nothing though!!”
This prompted another to write: “Oof, the first sign of her breakup with Travis was random breakup songs. Could be nothing, she’s still following him…
“Edit: yeah I interpret the song as a man messing up, but he still wants to be with his (ex?) lover. Definitely a yearning thing.”
However, others thought it might not be a sign of a split, with one noting: “Could actually be a suggestion by Timothee especially since a Jeff Buckley documentary just came out today.”
“But then she posted the 2nd breakup song from another artist (she actually posted it twice to tell us she’s actually listening to it 
)” noted another.
“Not saying they did, but everything is calculated with Kylie. She knows what people are going to assume.”
“this song has been trending on tiktok for at least the last month,” noted another. “i don’t think it’s anything more than that”
Currently, Timothée is away from the US shooting Dune Pt. 3, which began filming in Budapest at the beginning of July.
He leads the cast as Paul Atreides in the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novels, a young man born to become a powerful leader.
DRIVERS have been warned about an October 1 deadline that could mean an end to carpooling.
California drivers have been able to drive in the carpool lane without any passengers as long as they are driving electric or hybrid vehicles.
As per California’s Clean Air Decal program, those who own environmentally-conscious cars can make it known by placing a “clean air vehicle” decal on their ride.
With the sticker acting as your magic ticket, drivers are allowed to cruise along in the carpool lane even if they aren’t transporting any other passengers.
However, if lawmakers choose not to extend the state’s decal program, the carpool perk would become ineffective on September 30, according to the state’s DMV website.
Drivers who purchased a hybrid or electric vehicle can still get a decal by August 29, but it wouldn’t allow them to drive in the carpool lane past October 2.
“Clean Air Vehicle Decals are a smart, cost-effective incentive that has played an important role driving the adoption of clean and zero-emission vehicles in California,” said Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board.
“But thanks to the federal government’s failure to act, this successful program is coming to an end,” they added.
The program is ending, even though California law was changed to extend it to January 2027, as per the state’s DMV.
The website states that while California changed the law in hopes that the federal government would extend the CAVD Program, that federal authority was not extended, so the program ends at midnight on September 30, 2025.
As a result, starting October 1, California drivers will be forced to follow the posted vehicle occupancy requirement to travel in the carpool lane.
Those who don’t follow the carpool lane requirements risk receiving a citation and fine, according to California’s DMV.
Bill Magavern, the policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air, said California’s decal program would only be extended with the approval from Congress and President Trump.
“I certainly would not bet on that,” Magavern said.
“It seems that the only deadline that this Congress responds to are the deadlines that are set by Trump, and I really don’t see him going out of his way to extend this program.”
Although drivers won’t be able to use HOV lane as frequently, Magavern noted that it could reduce congestion in the carpool lane.
Pros and cons of EVs vs gasoline-powered vehicles
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Source: Car & Driver, Perch Energy, AutoWeek
“Now that California has hundreds of thousands of zero-emission vehicles, they can take up a lot of space in the HOV lanes, and those were meant to incentivize people to carpool,” he said.
But without an incentive, California officials wonder whether drivers will still opt for environmentally-conscious vehicles.
Almost 30% of people admitted that without any incentives from their state, they would not have bought an electric vehicle, as per Scott Hardman, assistant director of UC Davis’ Electric Vehicle Research Center.
“We’re still at a very fragile point in the transition to all vehicles being electric,” Hardman said.
“Only eight percent of the vehicles on the road are electric, and that’s not enough for you to reach the point where the vehicles are a social norm.”
The Clean Air Decal program is only part of the state’s push for stricter environmental standards.
