Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has reportedly hired a former Boston police chief to investigate the shooting that sent the former MLB star to the hospital in June.
Ortiz has hired former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis to investigate the June 9 shooting at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo, according to the New York Post.
“He’s damn interested in finding out what really happened,” Ortiz spokesman Joe Baerlein told the media.
Baerlein added that Ortiz is not convinced by the official police explanation that he was shot in a case of mistaken identity.
“He has no basis for a long time to challenge their theory of mistaken identity,” Baerlein said. “However, as new facts continue to come up, it lends some optimism that there may be some other conclusions that are drawn before it’s over about why David was shot.”
Baerlein pointed out that the Santo Domingo police had announced that their investigation turned up the actions of a drug ring.
“We’re open to these new facts perhaps shedding more light on what exactly the motive was for people shooting David,” Baerlein said. “Maybe something will turn up. Stay tuned.”
Ortiz had already contracted with Davis for personal security when the player was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he received treatment to repair his liver, intestines, and gall bladder, all injured in the shooting.
Dominican authorities maintain that the shooting was ordered by Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez who targeted his cousin, Sixto David Fernandez, under the impression that Fernandez had snitched on him over drug dealing. Fernandez was sitting with Ortiz at the bar that fateful night.
Ortiz recently shared a photo to Instagram speaking of his love for his daughter, Alex.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.