Crime and Courts
The former major league baseball player was shot at a bar in Dominican Republic in June 2019
The First Collegiate Court of Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic has convicted 10 individuals on attempted murder-related charges connected to an attack on former major league baseball player David Ortiz, who was shot in the back at a bar in 2019.
Those convicted, which includes all but three of the accused suspects, have received sentences ranging up to 30 years in prison. According to the attorney general’s office, Eddy Vladimir Féliz García and Rolfi Ferreras Cruz, were sentenced to 30 years for their “direct participation in the assassination attempt.”
Ferreras Cruz is said to have fired the shot at Ortiz while riding on the back of a motorcycle being driven by Féliz García. Alberto Miguel Rodríguez Mota received a 20-year sentence for his role as “the person who paid those who carried out the act,” the attorney general’s office said.
The other seven convicted individuals have been sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison, with most ranging between five and nine years. The related charges include association of criminals, use of illegal firearms, attempted murder and complicity. Those convicted have also been ordered to pay 50 million pesos in compensation for damages.
The other three suspects, including alleged mastermind Victor Hugo Gómez, were acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Following the shooting, Dominican Republic Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez claimed Gómez organized the hit, but intended for Ortiz’s friend Sixto David Fernandez to be the target. Ortiz and television host Jhoel Lopez were the only two individuals injured in the attack.
Ortiz underwent surgery to address damage to his abdomen and internal organs, while Lopez received treatment for injury to his leg, where the bullet hit his thigh after passing through his friend.