As baseball legend David Ortiz remains in stable condition after a shooting in the Dominican Republic on Sunday (June 9), a woman has denied claims of being tied to the incident.
Shortly after it was reported that Ortiz was shot at The Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, local blogs tied the incident to a woman who goes by the name “Yeribell” on Instagram.
Popular blog ElCalleJon 809 reported the shooting to be a case of fatal attraction with the woman in the middle. Yeribell denied any involvement in the shooting stating on her Instagram, “With total security, I can express that information is totally false,” she said. “I do not know the shadow of that man for me. Please wait for more accurate information with proofs and photos of the unfortunate fact, thank you.”
Meanwhile, the gunman was identified as Eddy Feliz Garcia, 25. Garcia shot him in the back at point-blank range Sunday evening at the venue. Police spokesman Col. Frank Duran Mejia tells ESPN that the suspect was caught and brutally beaten by bystanders as he tried to get away on a motorcycle. Garcia suffered a cranium contusion and trauma to his thorax, left knee and right leg. After being treated at the Dario Contreras Hospital, he was placed in police custody. Footage has also surfaced on social media of the beating.
Ortiz is currently in stable condition. Doctors had to remove part of Ortiz’s intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder. “Doctors say that David is out of danger, thank God,” Ortiz’s father, Leo Ortiz, told the outlet. “What they have told me post-op is that the doctors believe he will recover quickly. Big Papi will be around for a long time.”
Two other people were wounded, including Jhoel Lopez, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz at the venue. Conflicting reports stated Ortiz was shot in the leg but it was Lopez who was hit the same bullet that hit the baseball player.