Police in the Dominican Republic were investigating on Monday why a man shot and wounded former Boston Red Sox slugger David "Big Papi" Ortiz as he sat in a nightclub late on Sunday, according to police and the team.
Ortiz, a 43-year-old retired baseball player still beloved in Boston for his role on three World Series-winning teams, was recovering in a hospital in Santo Domingo on Monday from a bullet wound to his back, the Red Sox said. His friend, Jhoel Lopez, a television host, was also wounded in the incident, police said in a statement.
The pair of assailants drove up to the club on a motorcycle late Sunday where one of them appeared to approach on foot and open fire, sparking a panic in which diners fled their tables, according to police and video of the incident posted by local media.