The man behind a botched murder plot that left baseball star David Ortiz badly injured instead reportedly paid hitmen $10,000 before the shooting, CNN reports.
Victor Hugo Gómez Vasquez, who was arrested by police in the Dominican Republic on Saturday, negotiated a $30,000 bounty for the murder of his cousin, Sixto David Fernández, who he suspected of turning him in to Dominican drug investigators.
But Fernández was seated with Ortiz at a bar in Santo Domingo last month when a gunman approached and fired a single shot at the former Boston Red Sox player, officials said.
Ortiz, whose gallbladder and part of his intestine was removed following the shooting, is still recovering but is back in Boston with his family and Red Sox doctors.
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. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.
Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota, who is accused of bankrolling the hit, is still at large.
Police say they have arrested 14 people in the case and are still searching for others.
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