Police in the Dominican Republic are reportedly looking into the possibility that the man who shot David Ortiz on Sunday night was hired to kill the former MLB star.
Three law enforcement sources told the Daily Mail that investigators believe two men — allegedly police officers — were hired by a drug lord to kill Ortiz because the drug lord believed Ortiz was having an affair with his wife. Police in Ortiz’s hometown of Santo Domingo would neither confirm nor deny the suspected motive.
“So far the case is under investigation. Social media networks are speculating many things,” Lieutenant Pimentel of the National Police in Santo Domingo told the Daily Mail. “We can not give you more details.”
Leo Lopez, who works as Ortiz’s assistant and press representative, denied that the shooting had anything to do with an alleged affair, but he expressed confidence that someone put out a hit on Ortiz.
“There is no doubt that it was an act of hired killers,” Lopez told Dominican media outlet Diario Libre. “If we had known that there was a dangerous situation, he would not have been there at that moment.”
Initial reports indicated that Ortiz was shot in an attempted robbery, but a disturbing video of the incident showed a man walk up behind the 43-year-old and shoot him in the back before fleeing. The bullet entered Ortiz’s back and exited through his stomach, and he had to undergo extensive surgery after some of his intestines and organs were damaged. Ortiz is expected to be transported to Boston at some point on Monday evening, and the Red Sox have said he is in serious but stable condition.
