Former Boston Red Sox slugger was at an entertainment centre when the shooting took place

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz has been shot and wounded in the Dominican Republic.

His father Leo Ortiz told ESPN that he was shot while at an entertainment centre in Santo Domingo on Sunday.

“They called to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical centre, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred,” Leo Ortiz said, adding: “At the moment, everything is confusing.”

Dominican national police director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50pm on Sunday when the gunman approached from behind and shot him at point blank range.

Bautista said Ortiz underwent surgery and his condition was stable. He said the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar.

Felix Durán Mejia, a spokesman for the Dominican National Police, told CNN Ortiz was in a stable condition and “out of danger” after surgery.

Several people had been detained in connection with the shooting, he said.

Ortiz, 43, helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP, in 2004 and 2013.

Associated Press contributed to this report