Red Sox legend David Ortiz recovering from surgery after he was ambushed, shot in Santo Domingo
'Big Papi' David Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge when a gunman approached from behind and shot him in the back; Phil Keating reports.
David Ortiz is on his way to Boston on Monday after the former Red Sox slugger affectionately known as “Big Papi” was ambushed by a gunman at a bar in the Dominican Republic, investigators said.
The 43-year-old retired athlete had been in stable condition in intensive care at a Santo Domingo hospital after doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine.
His spokesman, Leo López, said Ortiz’s liver also was damaged in the shooting Sunday night.
The Red Sox offered “all available resources” and sent an aircraft to bring him back to Boston.
“He’s on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports,” said Eddie Romero, the team’s assistant general manager.
DAVID ORTIZ, FORMER RED SOX SLUGGER, WOUNDED IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BAR SHOOTING
Ortiz’s father, Leo, said he will be transferred to Boston so he can be with his wife and the Red Sox medical team.
“He is resting,” the elder Ortiz said. “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”
Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on Sunday night when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range in the torso, officials said.
The gunman was not immediately identified or arrested, and the motive for the shooting was under investigation, with investigators trying to determine whether Ortiz was the target.
The operator of the motorcycle that was carrying the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, the investigators said.
The bar is in a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and expensive bars that Ortiz is known to frequent.
Eliezer Salvador, who was at the scene, said the gunman said nothing, just fired once. Salvador then drove a wounded Ortiz to the hospital, telling reporters they had a brief conversation in the car as he urged the baseball great to stay calm and breathe.
“Do you have any problems with anyone?” Salvador recalled asking him, to which Ortiz replied: “No, my brother, I’ve never wronged anyone.”
Salvador held up Ortiz’s bloody belongings for reporters, along with some of his jewelry. He also apologized for hitting several cars while rushing to the hospital: “That wrongdoing was justified.”
Two other people were wounded, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. López apparently was wounded by the same bullet, National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said. López was shot in the leg, and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.
Police did not identify the third person or detail that person’s injuries.
Ortiz is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.
Ortiz, who retired after the 2016 season and lives at least part of the year in the Dominican Republic, is often seen getting his cars washed and hanging out with friends, including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.
The Red Sox retired his number, 34, in 2017, and Boston renamed a bridge and a stretch of road outside Fenway Park in his honor. He maintains a home in Weston, on the outskirts of Boston.
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Ortiz galvanized the city in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that left three people dead, bellowing through a megaphone at Fenway Park: “This is our (expletive) city!”
“In 2013, when we needed David Ortiz the most, he was there for us,” Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said Monday. “Our focus is on his health and on getting him back here for treatment.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.