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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dominican court convicts 10 accused of attack on David Ortiz, reports say

David Ortiz (34) of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after he scored a run in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees on April 12, 2015 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. v  (Elsa/Getty Images North America/TNS)
By Fiifi Frimpong New York Daily News

A court in the Dominican Republic convicted 10 of 13 people accused of attempting to murder former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in Santo Domingo in 2019, according to reports.

Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia and Rolfi Ferreyra Cruz, the accused shooter, were sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to an ESPN report. The two received the longest sentences among the defendants.

Eight other defendants got sentences ranging from five to 20 years in prison, according to the verdict from the First Collegiate Court of Santo Domingo.

Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez, the alleged mastermind of the attack, is one of three defendants who were acquitted due to insufficient evidence, the ESPN report said.

Dominican authorities said the full sentence will be read on Feb. 8, 2023.

Authorities said the target of the attack was meant to be Sixto David Fernandez, not Ortiz. Investigators determined that Ortiz’s identity was mistaken as he shared a table at a bar with Fernandez when he was shot.

Ortiz survived the attacks and spent six weeks in the hospital, undergoing two surgeries.

The former slugger retired in 2016 after playing 20 seasons in the MLB — 14 of those seasons in Boston. He was a 10-time All-Star and won three World Series championships with the Red Sox.

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