The wife of Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz said that her husband is “resting comfortably” at a hospital in Boston after being shot in the Dominican Republic over the weekend.
Ortiz was ambushed by two men while outside a club in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo on June 9. He was shot in his lower back.
Ortiz’s wife Tiffany Ortiz said in a statement on Tuesday morning that he arrived at Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday night and underwent a successful second surgery.
“He is stable, awake, and resting comfortably this morning in the ICU where he is expected to remain for the next several days,” she said.
“On behalf of me and my family, I want to thank John and Linda Henry, Tom Werner, Sam Kennedy, and the Boston Red Sox for all that they are doing for David and our family, as well as Dr. Larry Ronan and the amazing staff at Massachusetts General Hospital.”
David Ortiz, 43, played for the Red Sox until 2016. A native of the Dominican Republic, he has spent most of his time there in recent years.
David Ortiz’s media assistant, Leo Lopez, told ESPN that Ortiz was in surgery until about 1 a.m. on June 11 and is recovering in intensive care.
Lopez said that Ortiz has been conscious, that he spoke to his family, and “even flashed that family.”
After being shot on Sunday night, Ortiz was rushed to a nearby medical clinic and underwent a surgery that lasted approximately six hours. Doctors removed parts of his intestines and liver and his entire gallbladder.
Dionisio Soldevila, a local reporter, told ESPN that when Ortiz spoke with his doctors, the former star told them: “Please don’t let me die. I’m a good man.”
Eliezel Salvador, a local resident, said that he was sitting near Ortiz when the shooting happened. Salvador drove the Red Sox legend to the hospital in his own car.
“I was driving fast. He said ‘I’m having trouble breathing’ and I said that’s normal,” Salvador told WBZ-TV. “I said keep breathing and don’t talk too much, give me your hand. I gave him my hand. I drove with one hand. We hit a few cars on the way but we got there.”
Officials have said they’re unsure of the motivation behind the attack and were echoed by Ortiz’s father, who rushed to the hospital to be with his son.
Lopez, Ortiz’s rep, told local newspaper Diario Libre that there was no doubt the incident was “an act of hired killers,” adding that Ortiz said he didn’t know why he would have been targeted.
“If we had known that there was a dangerous situation, he would not have been there at that moment,” López added.
Eddy Féliz García, 25, one of the suspects, was restrained by bystanders at the scene and beaten before being arrested. The other suspect has not been apprehended and authorities have not identified him by name.
