Daily Mail UK: Ortiz Shot By 'Two Cops Hired By A Drug Lord Who Believed The Baseball Hero Was Having An Affair With His Wife'

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[Well, here is the first story to address the question: "Why the hell did this happen?" A note of caution: The Daily Mail has not always been a shining example of responsible journalism. There have been eight successful libel suits against the tabloid since 2001.]

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Boston Red Sox Star David 'Big Papi' Ortiz Was Shot In A Dominican Republic Bar By 'Two Cops Hired By A Drug Lord Who Believed The Baseball Hero Was Having An Affair With His Wife'

Michaela Freda and Jennifer Smith and Adry Torres, Daily Mail UK, June 10, 2019:

Police in the Dominican Republic believe former Boston Red Sox star David 'Big Papi' Ortiz was shot by two cops hired by a Dominican Republic drug lord who believed the baseball player was having an affair with his wife, DailyMail.com has learned.

Three law enforcement sources confirmed the motive on Monday as Ortiz, 43, recovered in the hospital.

The drug lord has not been named.

On Monday, Ortiz's representative Leo Lopez denied that the shooting had anything to do with a woman but said it was the act of "hired" killers.

"There is no doubt that it was an act of hired killers. If we had known that there was a dangerous situation, he would not have been there at that moment," Leo Lopez told Diario Libre.

Ortiz is expected to make a full recovery but suffered liver damage during the six-hour operation, his spokesman said. ...

The former slugger for the Red Sox was shot in the back at near point-blank range while having drinks with friends including local TV host Jhoel Lopez.

Police have arrested Eddy Feliz Garcia so far but their investigation is ongoing. Garcia was chased down at the bar by a crowd of Ortiz's supporters and was beaten relentlessly until police arrived.

He was driving the motorcycle but is not the man who pulled the trigger. The shooter, who has not yet been named, is also in custody. ...

Initial reports suggested that it was an attempted robbery but police have since dismissed that. ...

Ortiz previously told of his fears of being hurt in his home country.

Before a 2015 ballgame at Fenway Park, he told a Dominican journalist that he violence in his native country was out of control and that he didn't feel comfortable carrying a firearm to protect himself in public.

"This is getting out of hand. I think they need to deal strongly because I like going to my country and I know the people love you and take care of you. But you know that when those dudes are out to get theirs, they are not thinking right and they could care less who is who. And I don't want to carry an AK-47 inside my car over there. I don't want to walk around everywhere with a bunch of guns. I am not a gun carrier. I am not a guy looking for trouble. But that's what the (present) moment is demanding you to do," he said.

The Daily Mail article has been picked up by the New York Post.