David Ortiz Hires Ex-Boston Police Commissioner to Look Into Shooting
Former Red Sox All-Star David Ortiz has hired a firm to look into the details surrounding his shooting in June in the Dominican Republic, reportsThe Boston Globe.
According to the Globe, ex-Boston police commissioner Ed Davis heads the firm, and he was hired a few weeks after the 43-year-old Ortiz returned to Boston.
"He's damn interested in finding out what really happened," Joe Baerlein, a spokesperson for Ortiz, told the Globe.
Ortiz was shot in his home country of the Dominican Republic on June 9 while he was at a night club. He had been at Massachusetts General Hospital since June 10 after he was transported from the Dominican Republic. He underwent multiple surgeries related to the gunshot wound and complications from the shooting.
Baerlein told the Globe that Dominican law enforcement officials have not talked to Ortiz since an initial interview following emergency surgery. Dominican authorities initially said Ortiz was the target of a hit. But police later said they believed Ortiz was not the intended target and that it was a case of mistaken identity. Baerlein said Ortiz hasn't been fully persuaded by the government’s account of what happened.
"David has been carefully monitoring the government and police investigation," Baerlein told the Globe. "He had no basis for a long time to challenge their theory of mistaken identity. However, as new facts continue to come up, it lends some optimism that there may be some other conclusions that are drawn before it’s over about why David was shot."
Sports Illustrated's Danny Gold found few answers for the case but raised plenty more questions when he took a trip to the island.
Ortiz was released from Mass Gen in late in July to continue his rehabilitation at home. On Sunday, Ortiz posted a picture of himself dropping his daughter off at college.
Baerlein said Ortiz is aiming to return to his job as an analyst when MLB playoffs begin in October.
