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A Philadelphia resident is seeking justice following the tragic shooting of her fiancé, who was killed in what she describes as an unexpected attack during their trip to Puerto Rico.
Kelly Crispin recounted the harrowing experience, explaining that she and her partner, Omar Padilla Vélez, were returning to his family’s residence around 1:45 a.m. on January 3, after enjoying an evening of dancing in San Juan. Their journey took an unfortunate turn when they mistakenly veered off the vibrant Calle Cerra nightlife strip, as she shared with FOX 29 and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In an instant, they found themselves encircled. Crispin detailed how over a dozen masked individuals wielding AR-style rifles trapped their vehicle at the junction of Calle Blanca and Calle La Nueva Palma, according to her accounts to the media.
As Padilla Vélez attempted to maneuver around the blockade, the assailants unleashed a barrage of gunfire, she recounted.
A South Philadelphia woman is demanding answers after her fiancé was gunned down in what she says was a random ambush shooting while the couple was visiting Puerto Rico. (Kelly Crispin via Instagram)
Padilla Vélez, a DuPont chemist, was shot in the head. Crispin was hit in the hand and shoulder and grazed in the back of her head. A friend riding in the car was not injured, FOX 29 and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
After the gunfire stopped, Crispin said, one of the attackers approached the vehicle and took her phone as she was calling police. She said the men appeared startled when they realized a woman was inside the car. They searched her purse, returned her phone and took nothing, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Crispin and her friend brought Padilla Vélez into the back seat, and she tried to stop the bleeding. The friend drove as the gunmen directed them out of the neighborhood, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Padilla Vélez suffered a catastrophic stroke caused by a bullet fragment and died. (Kelly Crispin via Instagram)
They met an ambulance at a nearby gas station and rushed to Centro Médico de Puerto Rico. Days later, Padilla Vélez suffered a catastrophic stroke caused by a bullet fragment and died, according to the outlets.
Now, Crispin is calling for justice.
“There’s no media coverage, there’s no pressure on the police to solve this case,” Crispin told FOX 29. “No one knows that this very smart, young Puerto Rican man was murdered. No one knows that a tourist down there was shot multiple times.”
Crispin told Fox News Digital her fiancé grew up in Puerto Rico, knew the streets well and that the area where the shooting happened is not considered dangerous. (Kelly Crispin via Instagram)
Crispin told Fox News Digital her fiancé grew up in Puerto Rico, knew the streets well and that the area where the shooting happened is not considered dangerous.
No arrests have been made. Police say the investigation remains ongoing, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and FOX 29.
“We had just made this decision to spend the rest of our lives together, forever,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It just feels so cruel that this was taken away.”
San Juan police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.