Former Boston Red Sox baseball player David Oritz finally got justice after being shot in the back at a bar in the Dominican Republic.
The shooter, Rolfi Ferreras Cruz, was sentenced to 30 years in prison this week which was announced on Tuesday.
In 2019, Ortiz was struck in the back at a popular bar in the D.R. with friends then shots were suddenly heard. He was rushed to the hospital. Along with Cruz, nine others were also sentenced to prison time.
Alberto Miguel Mota was sentenced to 20 years, with prosecutors claiming that Mota “paid those who carried out the act.” However, the alleged mastermind of the whole plot, Víctor Hugo Gómez Vásquez, was acquitted after lack of evidence, according to TMZ.
Ortiz’s liver and small and large intestines were damaged due to the bullet, which required the former baseball player to have multiple surgeries. He has since recovered, returning to his role at Fox Sports as an MLB analyst, and has attended multiple Red Sox games.
Though the shooter shot Ortiz, it’s believed that the MLB player was not the intended target. Authorities believe that Sixto David Fernandez was the directed target after he told the police about the drug dealer.
Cruz admitted that Ortiz was not the intended target when he was arrested in 2019 following the shooting.
