Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was shot in the lower back while in the Dominican Republic on June 9.
Ortiz was rushed to Clinica Abel Gonzalez in Santa Domingo, a medical clinic, to undergo surgery, the Red Sox said in a statement.
“David’s family has confirmed that he sustained a gunshot wound to the lower back/abdominal region,” the team stated. “We have offered David’s family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts.”
Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night.
Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him.
Ortiz, a native of the Dominican Republic, was in stable condition, Almonte said.
Ortiz’s father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn’t any collateral damage, meaning there was no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.
“He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,” Leo Ortiz said. “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”
“Doctors say he is out of danger, but he is heavily sedated and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours,” Lopez said.
The surgery took about six hours, he added, and included doctors removing part of the retired baseball star’s intestines and colon as well as his gallbladder.
Dionisio Soldevila, a local reporter. told ESPN that when Ortiz spoke with his doctors, the star told them: “Please don’t let me die. I’m a good man.”
The alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Almonte said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.
A picture of the alleged attacker was posted by Soldevila, the local reporter. The man had a bloodied face and a white bandage wrapped around his head that had spots of blood soaking through.
Investigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target.
Two other people were wounded, Bautista said, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Police believe López was wounded by the same bullet.
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.
