UPDATE: Surveillance video of David Ortiz’s shooting has surfaced on social media.
Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was reportedly shot and wounded while at an entertainment center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, ESPN.com reports. According to his father Enrique Rojas, the former MLB star is being treated by medical professionals but there is no word on where he was transported.
“They called to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred,” Leo Ortiz said in the report.
Justin Dougherty of WHDH 7 News added on Twitter that David Ortiz was shot once in the back and that the bullet came through his stomach. The Dominican Republic National Police confirmed the news and a suspect is currently in custody. CDN reports that the man who was arrested was beaten by witnesses of the shooting.
Ortiz is reportedly in stable condition.
He reportedly told doctors: “Please do not let me die; I am a good man.”
Conflicting reports, via ESPN, suggest that Ortiz was shot in the leg.
From the report:
According to a report from Dominican TV station CDN 37, Ortiz was shot in the leg. A person who was at the scene told ESPN that Ortiz was wounded by a man, who is being detained, while he was in the “Dial” club in the eastern part of the Dominican capital, and that Ortiz was transferred to the Corazones Unidos clinic, which is located in the center of the city.
Ortiz was a member of three World Series championship teams during his team with the Boston Red Sox and was the 2013 World Series MVP. Ortiz was in his birthplace of Santo Domingo when he was shot.
Throughout his MLB career, Ortiz was a 10-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Roberto Clemente Award winner, two-time AL Hank Aaron Award winner, and the AL home run leader in 2006.
Ortiz’s No. 34 was retired by the Red Sox following his playing career.