Dominican Republic Police Arrest 2 In Ortiz Shooting, Including Accused Mastermind
BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Police in the Dominican Republic say they've arrested the alleged mastermind in the David Ortiz shooting as well as another man they said was trying to escape to Puerto Rico.
They announced in a tweet Friday afternoon that Victor Hugo Gómez was captured.
Later Friday, they confirmed another suspect in connection to the Ortiz shooting. Alberto Rodriguez Mota was captured off the coast of Samana trying to get to Puerto Rico.
Ortiz was shot once in the back June 9 while sitting outside a bar in Santo Domingo. He was rushed into surgery where doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestines before he was flown to Boston. He was moved out of intensive care June 22, but remains at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Investigators in the Dominican have now arrested 12 people so far in the shooting, which they say was a hit that turned into a case of mistaken identity.
Authorities said the gunman hired to carry out the hit meant to shoot someone else, Sixto David Fernandez, who was sitting at Ortiz's table.
They said Victor Hugo Gómez was the mastermind of the plot. Authorities said Gómez is an associate of Mexico's Gulf Cartel and is wanted on federal charges, including heroin and cocaine possession in an unrelated case in Texas.
Dominican officials said he ordered the shooting of his cousin, Fernández, because Gomez believed Fernandez ratted on him to local authorities in a 2011 drug case that led to his imprisonment.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
