Bradenton gunman sentenced after fatal bar shooting, prosecutors say
A 28-year-old man faces prison time after a Manatee County jury found him guilty Tuesday of shooting and killing a man outside a Bradenton bar.
Jurors convicted Mario Alba-Reyes of second-degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of 41-year-old Domingo Mendez, according to court records.
Under Florida law, second-degree murder with a firearm is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
In a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald, the lead prosecutor said a witness’s quick action helped make an arrest — and later a conviction in the murder case.
“Thanks to a witness’s presence of mind to capture what turned out to be extremely valuable evidence of the defendant’s SUV as it left the scene of the shooting, and the quick response by law enforcement to identify the individual responsible, justice will be served on Mario Alba-Reyes for the murder of Domingo Mendez,” Assistant State Attorney Dickey Hough said.
The fatal shooting happened the night of Oct. 29, 2022, outside the now-closed La Barkania Bar and Restaurant at 2209 Ninth St. W., the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Investigators said when Mendez and his girlfriend tried to enter the bar that night, Alba-Reyes and another man confronted them. Alba-Reyes later told detectives that Mendez had “shoulder bumped” one of the men, leading to a verbal argument, according to a news release by the Bradenton Police Department.
According to an arrest report, Mendez and his girlfriend returned to their car, but Alba-Reyes followed them. Police say Alba-Reyes retrieved a gun from his vehicle, walked back over and shot Mendez in the head at close range with a .380 handgun before fleeing the scene.
Paramedics took Mendez to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he died from his injuries two days later, according to an arrest report.
Surveillance footage from nearby businesses captured the shooting, police said. Video also showed Alba-Reyes fleeing in a gray Mitsubishi Endeavor, which struck a stop sign as it left the area, according to police.
Detectives said they later found the SUV with damage consistent with the crash shown in the video. A witness who knew Alba-Reyes by name identified him to police, and investigators confirmed his identity using surveillance footage, according to an arrest report.
Police say Alba-Reyes turned himself in to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office less than a week after the shooting.
More than two years later, a jury found Alba-Reyes guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict came after a three-day trial presided over by Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio, who revoked Alba-Reyes’s bond following the conviction.
Alba-Reyes remains in jail awaiting sentencing, according to court records.
