Dominican Police Claim to Have Identified Person Who Allegedly Paid Hitmen to Shoot David Ortiz

Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz has been in good spirits as he continues his recovery after being shot in his native Dominican Republic a little over a week ago in what has been reported as a suspected assassination attempt.

While Dominican authorities have made several arrests in regards to the shooting, they might have just made their most important find yet.

Several news outlets are reporting that law enforcement believes to have identified the man they believed paid the hitmen to try to kill Ortiz. He was originally identified as Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota, but court documents revealed that his real name is actually Gabriel Alexander Perez Vizcaino.

Are we surprised that Perez was living under another alias? Absolutely not. But court documents state that a man in prison (for an unrelated incident) reached out to Perez for the alleged assassination job a week before the shooting.

The incarcerated individual is understood to have sent Perez a picture of Big Papi -- though authorities have not confirmed that it was actually Ortiz as of this time -- so that he could share it with the hitmen.

Per the Associated Press, the Dominican police are closing in on Perez and claim that its only a matter of time until he is in custody.

Amazing. This investigation is progressing far more quickly than we ever could have hoped for.

We'll provide updates on Perez's arrest as they are made available.