Alleged mastermind in David Ortiz shooting claims in video he wasn't involved in botched plot
The man accused of setting into motion a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the accidental shooting of baseball star David Ortiz claimed he had nothing to do with last month's attack in the Dominican Republic. Víctor Hugo Gómez Vasquez made his case in a cellphone video he recorded before he was arrested Friday.
Dominican authorities said Sunday Gómez Vasquez, 43, agreed to pay $30,000 for the killing of his cousin, Sixto David Fernández. However, the gunman instead shot Ortiz, who was sitting near Fernández at a bar in the capital city of Santo Domingo on June 9 and was wearing clothing similar to Fernández's.
The former Red Sox star has been recovering in a Boston hospital. Officials had said the shooting stemmed from Gómez Vasquez wanting revenge against Fernandez over a drug arrest eight years ago, which Gómez Vasquez disputes.
"Sixto David has already said he has no enemies," Gómez Vasquez said in the cellphone video, according to CBS Boston. "I am not his enemy. I want to make clear I had nothing to do with this."
Gómez Vasquez is believed to belong to a major Mexican drug cartel, CBS News correspondent Mola Lenghi reported. He is wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and had been on the run since March.
A relative of Gómez Vasquez told CBS Boston he couldn't afford a lawyer to fight the federal charges. "He hasn't turned himself in because he had no money for a lawyer, just as he doesn't have no money to send that hit for his cousin, Sixto David Fernandez," Gómez Vasquez's relative told CBS Boston on the condition of anonymity.
The relative claimed that Gómez Vasquez was framed. "He's an easy target because of his situation in the United States," the relative told CBS Boston.
Gómez Vasquez also recorded his arrest in a Santo Domingo Oeste apartment Friday to show he didn't resist officers, CBS Boston reports. An alleged middleman, Alberto Rodriguez Mota, was captured Friday by the Dominican navy, according to police.
Rodriguez Mota was seen on surveillance video at the bar before the attack. He allegedly took a dark picture of Fernández and shared it with others involved in the plot.
Fourteen people have been detained in the investigation, prosecutors said Sunday.