Ortiz shooting suspect likely wanted in Pennsylvania

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — U.S. prosecutors said Thursday that one suspect in the shooting of ex-red Sox star David Ortiz is believed to be wanted in Pennsylvania for attempted homicide, while the father of another suspect said his son belongs to a notorious Dominican gang of drug-dealing hitmen.

Berks County District Attorney John Adams said he believes Luis Rivas-clase to be the suspect wanted for a Reading, Pennsylvania, shooting in April 2018, although confirmation would have to come through a fingerprint match.

Pennsylvania authorities have released a mug shot of Rivas-clase that strongly resembles the suspect in an image provided by Dominican authorities, who provided the same name but without the hyphen listed in U.S. court documents.

Ortiz was shot in the back at a bar in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Dominican officials said Wednesday that they had detained the suspected gunman and five accomplices.

Ortiz is in a Boston hospital recovering from surgery.

Later Thursday, Dominican authorities brought in five suspects along with a handful of additional suspects, including a woman. The nine were rushed to the court accompanied heavily armed police for their first appearance, during which charges will be presented against them so they can continue to be held.

Ortiz’s family said Thursday that he is still an intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital continuing “to heal and make progress.’

American authorities don’t expect to see Rivas-clase, 31, back in Pennsylvania to face trial anytime soon, if ever.

“Since this individual would be subject to charges in the Dominican Republic, the chance of us getting him back is frankly far-fetched,” Adams said.

Separately, Rivas-clase has also been charged with providing false identification to law enforcement and driving without a license in Reading. Bail was set at $10,000, and records show bond was posted on Nov. 29.

But Rivas-clase skipped bail, and his attorney in that case did not immediately return a message.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic say Rivas-clase is still at large.

Meanwhile, the father of another suspect in Sunday’s shooting of Ortiz at a bar said his son is a member of gang of hired assassins and low-level drug dealers known as the Gilberts.

The father, Nisdean Mirabal, told a local televisiong show that he had severed relations with his son, Oliver Moises Mirabal Acosta, after he was tied to a home used by the gang led by Junior Minaya German, who was known as Gilbert.

Gilbert was fatally shot by police in 2013, according to Dominican media.