The man accused of shooting David Ortiz in a Dominican Republic bar is also wanted for multiple armed robberies in New Jersey, according to prosecutors.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey confirmed Thursday that the alleged gunman in the Ortiz shooting, Rolfi Ferreira-Cruz, 25, of Reading, Pennsylvania, is also wanted in connection with a pair of street holdups in Clifton, New Jersey, in December 2017. Cruz reportedly was among of group of men who held up two victims at gunpoint within a matter of blocks.
Two men, a 26-year-old and 41-year-old, were robbed as they walked in Clifton, both being held up by a group of armed robbers with guns wearing masks on Dec. 22, 2017, police say.
According to police, they caught two of the four suspects later that night, a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old, and the third, a 20-year-old, turned himself into police in January 2018.
Cruz, identified by Dominican police as Rolfy Ferreyra, was among seven suspects arrested in the Dominican Republic after being offered almost $8,000 to shoot and kill the former baseball star affectionately known as Big Papi, authorities said. Cruz is believed to be the gunman in the attack.
Dominican Republic police said the coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to orchestrate the shooting. He said the alleged coordinator was also among those in custody.
Authorities declined to give a motive for the shooting at a popular Santo Domingo bar Sunday night or say who had hired the attackers.
U.S. & World
Ortiz is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston, a fearsome power hitter with a ready smile. The slugger led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.
