A Philadelphia-area scientist has died after he and his fiancée were shot during a terrifying, seemingly random attack while vacationing in Puerto Rico, according to reports.
Omar Padilla Vélez, 33, a senior scientist with DuPont, was driving his fiancée, Kelly Crispin, 31, back from a night out in San Juan on January 3 when he accidentally took a wrong turn, Crispin told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Moments later, their car was surrounded by about a dozen masked men armed with AR-15-style rifles. Crispin said the men opened fire as Vélez tried to drive past them.
“I’ve been shot,” Vélez cried out, according to Crispin. She was also struck by bullets, suffering injuries to her hand and shoulder as gunfire tore through the vehicle.
As she attempted to call for help, one of the attackers took her phone, while another appeared hesitant after realizing a woman had been wounded, Crispin recalled. The gunmen fled without taking anything else.
A friend who had been out with the couple rushed them to a hospital while Crispin applied pressure to Vélez’s wounds, including a gunshot wound to his head.
Vélez, who was born in Puerto Rico and had returned to the island to celebrate the New Year with family, was initially stable. Crispin was able to visit him two days after the shooting.
“He told me that he loved me, and I told him that I loved him too,” she said. “And he said, ‘I’m so sorry.’ Then he fell asleep.”
Shortly afterward, Vélez suffered a catastrophic stroke and died.
San Juan police later told Crispin that the shooting appeared to be a random act of violence carried out by a gang believed to control the tourist area. No arrests have been announced, and authorities have not publicly released additional details.
Vélez moved to the mainland United States in 2015 to pursue his Ph.D. at Cornell University. He later relocated to the Philadelphia area in 2022 to work for DuPont. Friends described him as brilliant, kind, and deeply devoted to his family.
He and Crispin met three years ago at their best friends’ wedding and became engaged in September.
“We had just made this decision to spend the rest of our lives together forever,” Crispin said. “It just feels so cruel that this was taken away.”
And these men are the ones who were coming to the USA from other countries
They better catch and execute the murderers or no one will visit Puerto Rico and tourism will crash!