Vigil held for Gabriel Mendoza, security guard fatally shot in Minneapolis bar

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Parque de Castillo in St. Paul was filled with music, tears and laughter Wednesday night as friends and family of Gabriel Mendoza gathered to remember him.

Mendoza, 23, was killed late Sunday night at a restaurant and bar in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood.

Dozens at the vigil were dressed in orange, Mendoza's favorite color.

"Today, right now, all of your faces are proof of who he was, who he is and who he always will be. He is loved," Mendoza's twin sister told the crowd.

It was shortly before midnight Sunday when police were called to Fire House Restaurant and Lounge near Lagoon and Fremont avenues on reports of shots fired.

When officers arrived they found Mendoza shot. Police say he was hit with gunfire outside the bar, ran and collapsed just inside the back door.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office says Mendoza died from a "gunshot wound to the neck."

In a statement, bar management said, "Gabe was more than just a security guard to us he was part of the family. As for Fire House, we will be closed until further notice so our staff and his family can grieve and mentally process this situation."

Ben Arndt, Mendoza's business partner and best friend, also spoke at the vigil.

"Dino, he's not physically with us but he is not gone. He is with all of us. That is my brother. That is my friend. And that passion and that light and that energy is how we will carry on," Arndt said.

"I will hold his strength. My family will hold his strength. My brother ain't gone," Mendoza's sister said.

Anyone with information on this shooting can submit an anonymous tip online to Crime Stoppers, or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).