Sister of Gabriel Mendoza, killed in Uptown bar shooting, asks people to check social media for clues
MINNEAPOLIS -- The family of a bouncer says your social media could hold a clue about his shooting.
Somebody killed 23-year-old Gabriel Mendoza at a restaurant and bar in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood late Sunday night. His sister told WCCO, her younger brother had a huge heart and made it his life's mission to be there for people in need.
"He was a coach and a mentor for other young men around his age who were struggling and he was doing a lot just to help others and to help the community," she said.
WCCO is not naming the victim's sister as she is concerned because those responsible for her brother's death are still on the street. But she says she needed to speak out to ask the public for help in finding out what happened to Mendoza.
"He was working an event he had worked there before and there were multiple other security guards there," she said.
What she does know is that it was shortly before midnight when police were called to Firehouse Restaurant and Lounge near Lagoon and Fremont 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."
"I saw Instagram videos, Snapchat videos -- the place was completely, it was like a full house," his sister said. "There were too many people there not to have heard something or seen something."
Mendoza's sister hopes someone will come foward with information that can help lead investigators to the person or people who killed her brother.
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."
If you have any information about this shooting, you can leave an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
