Dominican police arrest second suspect in shooting of baseball star David Ortiz

SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) – Police in the Dominican Republic arrested a second suspect on Tuesday evening in the shooting of David Ortiz, the retired Boston Red Sox baseball star, the Boston Globe reported.

The arrest came as Ortiz, 43, recovered in a Boston hospital room following a second round of surgery on Tuesday, according to his family.

Ortiz was shot in the torso on Sunday evening at an open-air nightclub in Santo Domingo, the capital of his native Dominican Republic, after a gunman rolled up on a motorcycle. His friend Jhoel López, a television host, was also wounded in the shooting.

Police quickly arrested one suspect, identified as Eddy Féliz García, who was beaten by bystanders at the scene.

Féliz appeared in court on Tuesday evening, charged with being an accomplice in the attempted murder of Ortiz. His lawyer, Deivi Solano, told reporters outside the court that the judge had agreed to postpone the hearing until Wednesday afternoon.

Féliz’s mother, Justina García, told reporters the charges against her son, who remained in custody, were a “lie.”

“They can’t link it to him because he is not a criminal,” she said.

Solano said his client did not shoot Ortiz, but works as a motorcycle taxi driver and may have unwittingly driven the shooter to the scene, CNN reported.

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The second suspect remained in custody on Tuesday evening, the Globe reported, citing an unnamed official. Police have not released the identity of that suspect, according to the paper.

Ortiz underwent a first round of surgery in Santo Domingo on Sunday night before being flown to Boston. After more surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Ortiz was “stable, awake and resting comfortably,” according to a statement released on Tuesday by his wife, Tiffany Ortiz.

Known as “Big Papi,” Ortiz is still a hero in Boston for his role in three World Series championships and for his uplifting remarks in the days after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Larry King and Jeffrey Benkoe

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source: reuters.com