Sports
David Ortiz Shooting Case Of Mistaken Identity: Prosecutors
The target was a friend of David Ortiz who was sitting at the same table and wearing similar clothing, Dominican authorities said.
David Ortiz was not the intended target of the shooting that landed the retired Red Sox icon in intensive care; rather, the bullet was meant for a friend of Ortiz's who was sitting at the same table and wearing similar clothing, Dominican prosecutors said Wednesday in a news conference. Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez said the target of the shooting was David Fernandez.
The mastermind behind the shooting was identified as Victor Hugo Gomez, a fugitive involved in Mexico's Gulf Cartel who is also wanted in the U.S. Authorities have not said what they believe the motive was.
Rodriguez said Ortiz told him the day after the shooting that he couldn't think of anyone who would want to harm him.
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Rolfi Ferreira Cruz, the man authorities said was the shooter, reportedly told investigators the hit wasn't meant for Ortiz. Authorities at the time dismissed it but later confirmed it Wednesday in the late afternoon press conference.
Ortiz was shot once in the back the evening of June 9 at the patio of Dial Bar and Lounge in his hometown of Santo Domingo. He was sitting with Fernandez and Jhoel Lopez, a local TV personality. The bullet passed through Ortiz and also injured Lopez.
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He underwent surgery at a Dominican hospital that removed his gallbladder and for other injuries to his organs.
Ortiz's lawyers told The Boston Globe Tuesday that Ortiz is "innocent" in the shooting, and salacious rumors surrounding it were false.
"I can say that David Ortiz is innocent in what happened. He has no connection to illicit activities, no relationships with people who have criminal connections, nor has he violated his family values that would bring about such an incident," Jose Martenez Hoepelman told The Globe.
Ortiz was flown the next night to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit. His condition was upgraded to "good," his wife, Tiffany Ortiz, said in a statement Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, police arrested the 11th suspect in the shooting.
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