David Ortiz recovering in Boston after being flown from Dominican Republic by Red Sox
On Monday night, retired Boston Red Sox icon David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz was flown from his native Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, back to his adopted home of Boston so that he could receive medical treatment following a serious gunshot wound he received only one day prior. On Sunday night, while sitting with friends at a nightclub in Santo Domingo, Ortiz was shot in the back. The bullet that struck the baseball legend in his lower back exited through his stomach.
Surveillance video from Sunday night shows a motorcyclist approach Ortiz, seated with friends at a bar in downtown Santo Domingo, shooting him once in the back at nearly point-blank range. The 43-year-old fell from his stool while Dominican police say the driver, 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia, was chased down by a group of witnesses and severely beaten before he was ultimately arrested. The alleged gunman is still on the loose.
Ortiz was driven to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder, parts of his intestine and liver. Police are still looking for a motive, but have ruled out armed robbery. ~ CBS News
The air ambulance that arrived in Santo Domingo to fly Big Papi back to the U.S. was commissioned courtesy of the Boston Red Sox. The former slugger is considered “a veritable rockstar in Boston,” according to CBS Sports, who wrote that “when the Red Sox opened a four-game series at Fenway Park against the Rangers, we knew a moment of reflection was coming. Still, it was touching.”
The air ambulance transporting the beloved Ortiz from the Dominican Republic arrived at Logan International Airport last night shortly before 10 p.m., according to WCVB. He was moved from the plane to an ambulance. Massachusetts State Police cruisers accompanied by police officers on motorcycles escorted that ambulance to Mass General Hospital, where Ortiz is expected to make a full recovery.
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
Also see:
- Red Sox legend David Ortiz shot in the back in Santo Domingo nightclub
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