David Ortiz during last year's All-Star game.
Topline: Amid a spate of high-profile violence in the Dominican Republic—former Red Sox player David Ortiz was shot in the back at a club on Sunday, the same day officials confirmed a 6th American had died there in recent months—officials there insist that the island is safe, and the U.S. State Department has issued no new warnings to tourists.
Big Papi shot, but expected to be okay: Ortiz, who’s number 85 on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, was shot in the back at a San Domingo bar on Sunday. The Dominican native underwent surgery and is recovering in stable condition, according to the Associated Press.
Deaths under similar circumstances: Six Americans visiting the island nation have died there over the past year, according to the Washington Post, with families of the deceased questioning what exactly happened to their loved ones. At least half of the victims were reported to have had an alcoholic drink at their hotels prior to being found dead. They are:
- David Harrison, 45, who died at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana. (July 14, 2018)
- Yvette Monique Sport, 51, who died at the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana. (June 23, 2018)
- Robert Wallace, 67, who died at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana. (April 12, 2019)
- Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, who died at the Bahia Principe Bouganville. (May 25, 2019)
- Edward Holmes, 63, engaged to Cynthia Day, died at the Bahia Principe La Romana. (May 30, 2019)
- Cynthia Day, 49, engaged to Edward Holmes, died at the Bahia Principe La Romana. (May 30, 2019)
Investigations into the deaths are ongoing: According to the Washington Post, U.S. investigators are examining the deaths but have not yet established any links between them. Victims Schaup-Werner, Day, and Holmes died within a week of each other, and all three of their autopsies showed fluid in their lungs, enlarged hearts, and internal bleeding. Complicating the investigations is Schaup-Werner’s history of heart problems and the discovery of blood pressure medication and oxycodone in the room shared by Holmes and Day. The FBI is assisting Dominican law enforcement with the deceased’s toxicology reports.
One woman was severely beaten: Tammy Lawrence-Daley, 51, posted to Facebook in May photos of her beaten and bloodied face, the result of a brutal, hours-long attack she claimed occurred at the hands of a resort employee during her January stay at the Majestic Elegance in Punta Cana. According to NBC News, Lawrence-Daley asked the hotel for $2.2 million after the attacks before posting her story to social media. CBS News reports that the hotel claims no responsibility in the attack because Lawrence-Daley couldn’t identify her assailant.
Dominican officials insist it’s safe to visit. According to the Washington Post, minister of tourism Francisco Javier Garcia said it’s safe for Americans to visit the Dominican Republic during a news conference last Thursday, and that the reported deaths are more coincidental than nefarious. “Sometimes in life there can be a law of sequences. Sometimes, nothing may happen to you in a year. But in another week, three things might happen to you,” said Garcia.
What does the State Department say for visitors? As of April, the State Department updated its travel advisory for the Dominican Republic to caution travelers against crime, particularly “violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault.” The Dominican Republic has been rated a two (out of four) since 2018, with two meaning “exercise increased caution” and four meaning “do not travel.”
