A hoard of angry fans assaulted the man who allegedly shot MLB legend David "Big Papi" Ortiz and television personality Jhoel Lopez outside of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic Sunday evening. The Daily Mail obtained footage of the incident which occurred shortly after Ortiz was taken to a nearby hospital.
According to ESPN, Dominican officials identified the individual as 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia. Garcia suffered a cranium contusion, trauma to his thorax, trauma on his left knee, and trauma on his right leg, but was treated at a local hospital. Authorities say another suspect is reported to be on the loose.
A representative for Ortiz's media team told reporters the 43-year-old underwent six hours of surgery following the attack and doctors removed part of Ortiz's intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder. The 2013 World Series MVP also suffered liver damage.
"Doctors say he is out of danger, but he is heavily sedated and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours," Lopez told ESPN.
Big Papi's father, Leo Ortiz, echoed Lopez's statement with remarks of his own.
"He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting. Big Papi will be around for a long time."
Earlier in the evening, Lopez posted a photo with him and Dominican-born Ortiz to his Instagram account.
A flurry of well wishes have been posted on social media in the wake of this incident, including one by Barack Obama, who accompanied his remarks with a photo of the two when the Boston Red Sox visited the White House following their 2013 World Series win.
Six years ago, David Ortiz's spirit and resolve helped us all begin to heal from the Boston Marathon bombing. Today, I want to join many others in wishing him a speedy recovery of his own. Get well soon, Papi. pic.twitter.com/9orpBgnVI5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 10, 2019
Ortiz spent 14 years in Boston, retiring in 2016 with a career that includes 541 home runs and three World Series rings with the Red Sox.
