Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Reportedly Hospitalized After Being Shot in Dominican Republic
By Thomas Carannante
UPDATE: Ortiz is in stable condition and "out of danger" after it was confirmed he was shot in the back and the bullet exited his abdomen.
This is what we know: David Ortiz was shot at a club/rest. in Santo Domingo; was taken to a local clinic. An attending doctor told our colleague @dSoldevila the bullet hit him in the lower back, went through-and-through. He's currently in surgery; doctors say he's out of danger.
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) June 10, 2019
He is now out of surgery and "doing well."
Per @dSoldevila in the D.R., Ortiz's brother says Papi is out of surgery and doing well. https://t.co/ze5kohXBce
— Nathalie Alonso (@NathalieMLB) June 10, 2019
What an absolute shock to the baseball world.
According to reports out of the Dominican Republic, Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz has been hospitalized in his home country with a gunshot wound.
CDN 37 reporting David Ortiz has been hospitalized with a gunshot wound: https://t.co/cyIDnbPH2Y
— Erika Leigh (@_ErikaLeigh) June 10, 2019
His father, Leo Ortiz, confirmed the news shortly after to ESPN Deportes.
Leo Ortiz, David Ortiz's father, said to @ESPNDeportes that David was shot and wounded at an amusement center in Santo Domingo.
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) June 10, 2019
He added more:
.@Enrique_Rojas1 spoke to David Ortiz's father after learning that he was shot in a burglary attempt in the DR: "They called me 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."
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) June 10, 2019
Ortiz, 43, was in the country's capital of Santo Domingo and was shot in what was said to be an attempted robbery, but eyewitness accounts suggest that was not the case. The suspect in question, as seen on the security camera footage, simply walked behind Ortiz and shot him in the back.
CDN 37, a Dominican commercial broadcasting company, first reported the news of Ortiz being shot.
Other news outlets caught on and refuted the fact Ortiz was shot in the leg in an attempted robbery and reported more serious updates in which he was being treated with "urgency" after being shot in the abdomen.
Okay this is not good. Another major news publication is saying he’s being treated with urgency for a GSW to the ABDOMEN. That’s dangerous. https://t.co/IWEuL8fUoo
— Stan (@Crewsett) June 10, 2019
Multiple outlets also revealed what he said to the ER doctor as he was being rushed into surgery. Absolutely heartbreaking.
.@dSoldevila tweet translated: pic.twitter.com/eFMMXrBCQl
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) June 10, 2019
However, there's good news. The Dominican Republic National Police have confirmed Ortiz is in stable condition, though the morbid reports seem to be true -- the police also confirmed he was shot in the back and the bullet came out through his abdomen.
#BREAKING: National Police confirm David Ortiz was shot in the back tonight at a club in the Dominican Republic. He’s in stable condition. One person has been arrested. #RedSox #7News pic.twitter.com/o45B3s5vii
— Justin Dougherty (@DoughertyJC) June 10, 2019
Ortiz is currently undergoing surgery and the doctors have revealed he is "out of danger" and in stable condition, which is tremendous to hear directly from the sources handling the World Series champ.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
Our thoughts are with Ortiz and his family during this frightening time.