By Matt McCarthy, 985TheSportsHub.com
Police in the Dominican Republic have arrested six men in connection with the shooting of Red Sox great David Ortiz Sunday night, which authorities are now describing as a coordinated murder-for-hire plot.
Officials declined to address what the motive for the shooting might have been, but said the suspects carried out the attack on Ortiz for about $400,000 Dominican Pesos, just shy of $8,000.
Police also say they recovered the gun that was used in the shooting, which they claim was buried at the home of one of the suspects.
#BREAKING: Dominican Police Commissioner shows the weapon used in the attempted murder of David Ortiz.
It was recovered in TUE's raid where four additional suspects were arrested - including the gunman.
Police say group charged $400k pesos ($8k USD) for the hit. LIVE AT 5 @wbz pic.twitter.com/dSRE92ZS3e— Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) June 12, 2019
According to CNN, 25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz, one of the men arrested, allegedly confessed to pulling the trigger.
Authorities say one man still wanted in connection with the incident remains at large.
Ortiz continues to recover at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he remains in intensive care but is in stable condition. The Red Sox released a statement on Wednesday from Ortiz's wife, Tiffany, who said her husband is making "good progress toward recovery."
The #RedSox today issued the following statement on behalf of Tiffany Ortiz: pic.twitter.com/orcfadBrOJ
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 12, 2019
You can hear Matt McCarthy on 98.5 The Sports Hub's own Hardcore Baseball podcast and on various 98.5 The Sports Hub programs. Follow him on Twitter @MattMcCarthy985.