A second suspect has been arrested in the Dominican Republic for the Sunday night shooting of former Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz.
Ortiz was shot in the back at close range as he sat at a streetside bar and lounge in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo. Doctors said he suffered damage to his liver and intestines, and underwent a six-hour, emergency surgery at a Dominican hospital before being flown into Boston on the Red Sox private plane Monday night.
According to the Associated Press, Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garzia, the driver of the motorcycle, remains in custody along with another man, Erick Montilla. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A spokesman for prosecutors in DR said Féliz Garcia was charged as an accomplice in an attempted murder. His lawyer, Deivi Solano, told the AP that Feliz Garcia had no clue what was about to happen when he picked up the gunman. ‘‘He didn’t know what they were going to do. He’s a fan of David’s,’’ Solano said. Feliz Garcia was quickly stopped and beaten by onlookers at Dial in the chaotic aftermath of the shooting.
Authorities originally said Feliz Garcia, 25, was the shooter but revised that to say he was actually the driver of the motorcycle. However, authorities have not revealed to the AP whether the shooter is among those who were apprehended.
Two others were wounded in the attack, including television host Jhoel Lopez, who was struck in the leg by the same bullet that hit Ortiz. “It was the act of a hired killer,” Lopez, Ortiz’s spokesman, told Diario Libre, a Dominican newspaper.
David’s wife, Tiffany Ortiz, gave a statement to the media thanking fans for the outpouring of support but also asking for privacy. “I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and love that we have received during this incredibly difficult time,” Tiffany Ortiz’s statement said. “We ask for privacy as David works toward recovery.”
Rumors have swirled on social media that Ortiz was shot as an act of revenge for having an affair with a drug lord’s wife and another rumor implied a Dominican police officer had been involved in the shooting. However, the Dominican Nation Police have since taken the step of issuing a statement saying those reports were “categorically” false. “Our institution has no link to the incident,” the department said.
