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Suspected gunman in David Ortiz shooting arrested as authorities reveal plot to kill 'Big Papi'

Police have arrested six suspects in the plot to kill the former Red Sox star, while a seventh is still at large.
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The suspected gunman in David Ortiz's shooting at a Dominican Republic bar was arrested Wednesday as part of a group that authorities said was offered almost $8,000 for a coordinated hit on the former Red Sox star.

Ramon Martinez Perez, who goes by the alias Rolfy, was detained and is currently being questioned, Dominican authorities said. Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia, who was arrested at the scene of the Sunday night shooting at the Dial Bar and Lounge in the eastern part of Santa Domingo, was charged Tuesday as an accomplice to attempted murder.

Four other men — Joel Rodriguez Cruz, Oliver Moises Mirabal Acosta, Reynaldo Rodriguez Valenzuela and Polfirio Allende Deschamps Vazquez — were also arrested; a seventh suspect remains at large.

Authorities asked that Luis Alfredo Riva Clases, known as "The Surgeon," turn himself in.

Prosecutors said in court documents that two men were seen on security camera footage talking with other people in two Hyundai sedans on a nearby street before two men got on a motorcycle to ride toward the bar.

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Ortiz, 43, was shot in the back and suffered severe internal damage. The bullet exited through Ortiz’s stomach and hit television host Jhoel López, who was at the bar with Ortiz.

Ortiz, a Dominican Republic native, had his gallbladder and part of his intestine removed by surgeons hours after the shooting.

He was flown back to Boston on Monday and is being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Authorities said Wednesday that they have eyewitness testimony, physical evidence and video surveillance to corroborate their claims.

"In one of the videos, it was possible to observe both the accused and the shooter planning the commission of the incident right on Octavio Mejía Ricard Street, which is parallel to the place where the event took place," prosecutors said in the court document.

The document also said that a witness told investigators that Feliz Garcia met with a group of people at a park in the Las Caobas neighborhood, where he lived, around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The witness, a friend of Feliz Garcia, said he didn't know the group of people, which included a woman.

CORRECTION (June 12, 2019, 7:21 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated who was injured as the bullet exited David Ortiz's body. It was television host Jhoel López, not one of the attackers.

CORRECTION (June 12, 2019, 5:22 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article and headline misstated how much the people suspected of trying to kill David Ortiz were to be paid, according to prosecutors. It was 400,000 Dominican Republic pesos, which is closer to $8,000, not $400,000.