Native authorities in Puerto Rico arrested a person accused of killing the New York Metropolis man visiting the island to attend the Unhealthy Bunny residency final week.
Kalel Jorell Martinez Bristol faces expenses of homicide for the loss of life of Kevin Mares, a Queens man killed at a nightclub on Aug. 10. Puerto Rico’s Division of Justice mentioned Martinez Bristol was indicted late final week on expenses of first-degree homicide, endangering public security and unlawful weapons possession.
The capturing occurred within the predawn hours at a nightspot known as “Shelter for Mistreated Men” in La Perla, a coastal neighborhood that has struggled to shed its darkish status.
Murder detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz mentioned in a telephone interview that the capturing occurred when a number of individuals close to Mares started arguing and one pulled out a gun and shot no less than three individuals, together with Mares. Two different males who reside in La Perla had been injured and stay hospitalized.
Ruiz mentioned Mares was an harmless bystander. He was with three different pals who advised police they had been in Puerto Rico for certainly one of Unhealthy Bunny’s 30 live shows, which have attracted tens of 1000’s of holiday makers to the U.S. territory.
Mares was shot on the left facet of his stomach and was taken to Puerto Rico’s largest public hospital, the place he died, authorities mentioned.
Ruiz mentioned police don’t but know what the individuals had been arguing about and don’t have an outline of the shooter. “We have very little information,” he mentioned.
Ruiz added that Mares’ three pals had been additionally from New York. He didn’t have their hometowns.
La Perla is positioned on the outskirts of a historic district well-liked with vacationers referred to as Previous San Juan. A pair hundred individuals reside within the shantytown, which as soon as served as Puerto Rico’s largest distribution level for heroin and was identified for its violence.
Police used to keep away from the neighborhood, which used to have an indication proclaiming, “Not open to visitors. Do not enter.”
However violence eased when tons of of federal brokers raided the slum in 2011 and arrested dozens of individuals, together with a widely known neighborhood chief who was later convicted.
The neighborhood grew to become even safer and extra welcoming after Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featured it of their hit, “Despacito.”
However remoted, violent incidents persist.
In February 2023, three vacationers had been stabbed after police mentioned an individual advised them to cease filming contained in the neighborhood.
Then in April 2024, a 24-year-old vacationer from Delaware was killed and his physique set on fireplace after police mentioned he and a buddy had been attacked following a drug buy. Police mentioned the victims had been making an attempt to take photos of La Perla after being warned not to take action.
The island of three.2 million individuals has reported 277 killings to this point this yr, in contrast with 325 killings in the identical interval final yr.
