Police in the Dominican Republic have arrested a total of five people — including alleged gunman Ramon Martínez Perez — in connection with Sunday's shooting of Red Sox legend David Ortiz, authorities announced in a press conference Wednesday.
Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, director of the Dominican National Police, said authorities are continuing to investigate the attack and a motive hasn't been determined yet. Almonte said, though, that the suspects in the shooting had been hired as hit men to kill Ortiz.
Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez revealed the suspects were offered 400,000 Dominican pesos (or a little less than $8,000).
Almonte showed security camera footage of the shooting and held up a black handgun that was allegedly used in the ambush. According to court documents obtained by the Boston Globe, two men were caught on camera talking in a gray car on a nearby street before they got on a motorcycle to ride towards the bar, where Ortiz was ambushed while out with friends in his native Santo Domingo.
Jefe policia dominicana Ney A. Bautista muestra arma usada para intentar matar a David Ortiz pic.twitter.com/ITctHbqDyq
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) June 12, 2019
Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia has been accused of driving the gunman on a motorcycle to a club where Ortiz was socializing. Garcia confessed to having a role in the shooting, though his attorneys and his mother say he was an unwitting participant, according to ABC News. He was arrested Sunday night and was charged Tuesday as an accomplice to attempted murder.
The Globe notes witnesses said they saw a man on a motorcycle get off and walk up to where Ortiz was seated. The police report said: “Without saying a word, (the gunman) fired a gun."
Ortiz, 43, underwent emergency surgery in the Dominican on Sunday night and he was transported Monday to Boston. He underwent a second surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, and surgeons have reportedly removed Ortiz's gall bladder and parts of his intestines and colon. Leo Lopez, an Ortiz spokesman and family friend, said Ortiz took several steps in the hospital Tuesday.
“Obviously it’s a delicate situation. I’ve been getting updates the last few days,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who played with Ortiz from 2005 to 2008, said. “It’s been positive. Just staying positive and praying for this to happen.”
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