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Dominican officials sentence 10 to prison for trying to kill Hall of Famer David Ortiz

Nearly a dozen people were convicted this week for attempting to kill Boston Red Sox legend and MLB Hall of Famer David Ortiz in 2019.

On Tuesday, a Dominican court convicted 10 people in the murder attempt, according to The Associated Press. Alleged shooter Rolfi Ferreyra Cruz and another man were sentenced to 30 years in prison for their roles in the attack, and eight others were sentenced to anywhere between five and 20 years in prison. Three others were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Ortiz, who was born in the Dominican Republic, was ambushed in 2019 after a man hopped off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range at a Santo Domingo bar. Ortiz was rushed to a local hospital, underwent surgery and was later flown to the United States for another operation. He has since recovered.

Private investigators hired by Ortiz said he was targeted by a Dominican drug trafficker who was jealous of him, though specific motive isn’t clear. The men were charged with criminal organization, use of illegal firearms, attempted murder and complicity, among other things, per the report.

Ortiz spent two decades playing in the major leagues, first with the Minnesota Twins before he landed in Boston in 2003. He helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series victory the following year, the first of three in his career, and picked up 10 All-Star nods before retiring in 2016. He finished with 541 career home runs and 1,768 RBIs. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz
David Ortiz was ambushed at a bar and shot at close range in the Dominican Republic in 2019. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)