David Ortiz in stable condition after shooting in Dominican Republic
Retired slugger David Ortiz is in stable condition after being shot and wounded in the Dominican Republic, his family told ESPN on Sunday.
Ortiz underwent surgery and is receiving treatment at the Dr. Abel Gonzalez clinic in Santo Domingo. Doctors who performed the surgery say Ortiz is out of danger.
"He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," his father Leo Ortiz told reporters, according to The Associated Press. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."
Leo Lopez, Ortiz's assistant and press representative, told reporters that surgeons had to remove Ortiz's gallbladder and parts of his intestines, colon, and liver due to damage from the bullet, according to Maria Cramer of the Boston Globe, citing a Spanish tweet from Diario Libre.
Ortiz's most recent surgery ended at 3:30 a.m. local time, and he'll now remain in intensive care for the next 24 hours, Lopez said, via ESPN's Marly Rivera.
Dionisio Soldevila, a Dominican reporter, told ESPN that doctors informed him Ortiz was shot in the lower back and the bullet exited from his stomach. Original reports stated Ortiz suffered a leg wound.
The incident occurred at a club in Santo Domingo. Authorities said a gunman got off a motorcycle and ambushed Ortiz from close range.
Dominican National Police director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said the gunman, 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia, was captured and beaten by people at the club where the shooting occurred, according to ESPN. Police took Garcia into custody after he was treated in hospital for multiple injuries, including a cranium contusion and trauma to his thorax, Bautista said.
A second man was on the motorcycle and escaped the scene by foot, according to a statement from Dominican national police that was translated by USA Today's A.J. Perez. Police are also "working to determine" the motive behind the attack.
Ortiz became a legendary figure for the Boston Red Sox over 14 seasons from 2003 through 2016. The 10-time All-Star hit 483 home runs in Beantown and was part of three World Series championship teams.
On Monday morning, Lopez told Rivera that Ortiz will be moved to Boston for further treatment once he's fully stabilized. The Red Sox and Massachusetts General Hospital are working together to facilitate the move, a team source told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe on Monday.
"We have offered David's family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts," the Red Sox wrote in a statement issued early Monday morning.
Two others were also wounded in the shooting. Dominican TV personality Jhoel Lopez, who was with Ortiz, was shot in the leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, his wife Liza Blanco said, according to the AP. Police believe the same bullet that struck Ortiz wounded Lopez.
Police didn't identify the third victim.