David Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox legend and MLB Hall of Famer, was shot in 2019 in the Dominican Republic. Fortunately, he was treated and recovered from the wounds, but it was a frightening situation for the baseball world.
On Monday, a Dominican Republic court ruled on the shooting. According to New York Post writer Jenna Lemoncelli, they convicted a lot of the members involved:
“A Dominican Republic court on Monday convicted 10 of the 13 people accused of attempting to murder Red Sox legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz in Santo Domingo in June 2019.”
However, two people and the alleged mastermind behind the entire plot were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez is the alleged mastermind and reportedly cried when the verdict was handed down.
The Red Sox legend was not the target of the shooting, as it was a case of mistaken identity. He was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in June of 2019 in the Dominican Republic when he was shot.
According to Lemoncelli, so was the target:
“Dominican authorities said Gomez Vasquez, an associate of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel, hired a gang of killers to eliminate his cousin, Sixto David Fernandez, who was sharing a table at the bar with David Ortiz when he was shot. Authorities said the shooter confused Fernandez with Ortiz.”
The former designated hitter underwent three surgeries to survive the gunshot.
Sentences handed down in David Ortiz shooting incident
Among the 10 sentenced parties, Rolfi Ferreras Cruz and Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia received the harshest sentences. They earned 30 years each for their direct role in the plot.
Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota was given 20 years and Oliver Moises Mirabal and Eduardo Ciprian Lebron were sentenced to 10 years.
