Dominican police arrest 'mastermind' in David Ortiz shooting

June 29, 2019 12:00 am • Last Updated: June 29, 2019 12:06 am

In this Sept. 30, 2016, file photo, Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz speaks during a news conference before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park, in Boston. Officials say Ortiz, who was shot in the Dominican Republic on June 9, 2019, at an outdoor cafe, was the victim of incompetent criminals who were trying to kill a man next to him. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic say they have arrested the "mastermind" behind the shooting of baseball great David Ortiz earlier this month in an apparent case of mistaken identity.

Police said Friday that Víctor Hugo Gómez was detained in the Caribbean country. No further details were immediately released.

Authorities had said last week that they believed Gómez was living in the U.S.

He is accused of ordering the killing of his cousin, Sixto David Fernández. Authorities say hit men confused Ortiz with Fernández during the June 9 shooting at a bar in the capital of Santo Domingo. The two men are friends and were sharing a table.

Ortiz was flown to Boston and remains hospitalized there after doctors in the Dominican Republic removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine.

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