Not Many People Are Buying The Newest Official Story That Ortiz Was Not Assassin's Target

The claim made yesterday by Jean Alain Rodriguez, the Attorney General in the Dominican Republic, that David Ortiz was shot because the gunman confused him with Sixto David Fernández, who was sitting at the same table, is so laughable, according to WEEI's Alex Reimer, that "Sarah Sanders would've been proud of his performance".

Ortiz and Fernandez look nothing alike. It doesn't matter if both men may have been wearing white pants June 9, as police say. This would be one mystifying case of mistaken identity.

In fact, only three days ago, DR authorities called the possibility of Ortiz being mistaken for someone else "absurd". On June 16, a CNN wire service story reported:

[The alleged gunman] Ferreira Cruz told reporters he meant to shoot someone else, a claim that prosecutors say is absurd considering that Ortiz is one of the most recognizable people in the country.

Yeah ... I can't tell them apart.

Danica Coto (NBC Boston) writes that this case of mistaken identity began with a poor quality photograph taken minutes before the attack.

[O]ne of the accomplices shot a blurry photo of Fernández seated at the Dial Bar and Lounge in an upscale section of Santo Domingo. In the photo, a white freezer obscures Fernández's lower body, making it look like he was wearing white pants when, in fact, he was wearing black pants ...

Ortiz was wearing white pants on the night of the shooting and law-enforcement officials said that the gunman ... mistook him for the target and fired.

Nonetheless, many Dominicans were skeptical that their country's most famous person, a 6-foot-3-inch man weighing around 250 pounds, could be mistaken for Fernández, who appeared to be far smaller with a lighter complexion in a photo provided by authorities.

"He is big. He likes to attract attention," said Daniel Pou, an independent consultant on public security. "He wears a lot of jewelry. He's flashy all around."

If Fernández was wearing black pants that night, why did initial reports from the police say he was wearing white pants? Was he always standing in front of a white freezer when speaking to the cops?

David Abel of the Globe reports that many Dominicans are not taking the latest 'official story' seriously. At the Barcelo Santo Domingo hotel, a female employee pointed out that Ortiz has much darker skin than Fernandez, a different texture of hair, and is nowhere as brawny as the former slugger. Even from the back, she said, the two would be hard to confuse.

11 suspects are now in custody.