A woman was arrested this week in connection with the shooting that left Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz with serious injuries nearly five years ago.
Dominican Republic National Police announced on Wednesday that 25-year-old María Fernanda Villasmil Manzanilla, a native of Venezuela, was taken into custody by Interpol Agents in Santo Domingo. Prosecutors said Manzanilla was seen on the night of the shooting in June 2019 with other suspects implicated in the attack.
The Boston Globe reports that Manzanilla was released from custody and has not been charged. Details regarding why she was arrested were not immediately available.
Ortiz was shot while he was at a bar in Santo Domingo on June 9, 2019. He sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized for several days. There were a number of different reports and conflicting details about the incident.
Ortiz eventually hired former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis as a private investigator and learned that a local drug kingpin put a bounty on the former slugger and wanted him dead.
Ortiz, affectionately known as “Big Papi” to baseball fans, was born in Santo Domingo and signed his first professional baseball contract in 1992. He is a club owner in his native country and also became a U.S. citizen in 2008. The 43-year-old is a 10-time All-Star, 3-time World Series champion, former World Series MVP, and one of the most beloved Red Sox players ever.
