David Ortiz

Woman arrested in connection with David Ortiz shooting, Dominican police say

Police in the Dominican Republic, where Red Sox legend David Ortiz was shot in 2019, say 25-year-old María Fernanda Villasmil Manzanilla of Venezuela was arrested by Interpol

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz raises his arms and looks upward as he crosses home plate after a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Police in the Dominican Republic say a woman has been arrested in connection with the shooting of Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz five years ago.

The Hall of Fame designated hitter affectionately known as Big Papi was shot by a gunman on June 9, 2019, in his native Dominican Republic.

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Eleven people were arrested in the immediate aftermath. In total, 13 were charged with attempted murder, and 10 were convicted.

On Wednesday, the Dominican Republic National Police said 25-year-old María Fernanda Villasmil Manzanilla of Venezuela had been arrested by Interpol. It was not immediately clear what charges she is facing.

Officials in the Dominican said at the time the slugger was not the target, calling it a case of mistaken identity. The nation's attorney general and national police director told reporters Victor Hugo Gomez, an associate of Mexico's Gulf Cartel, ordered the hit from the U.S., and that the gunman confused Ortiz with his cousin, Sixto David Fernández, who was sitting with him.

Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, hired privately by Ortiz to investigate, found that he was targeted by César "The Abuser" Peralta, the Boston Globe reported in 2022.

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