New Jersey

Accused David Ortiz Shooter Indicted in Cocaine Conspiracy Case in New Jersey

Rolfi Ferreira-Cruz is in custody in the Dominican Republic

What to Know

  • The man accused of shooting Red Sox legend David Ortiz now faces cocaine conspiracy charges in New Jersey
  • Rolfi Ferreira-Cruz faces more than 40 years in prison on drug and firearm charges
  • He is one of 11 people in custody in the Dominican Republic in connection with the June 9 shooting of Ortiz

The man accused of shooting Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic earlier this month now faces a federal drug indictment in New Jersey, alleging that he conspired to distribute heroin and cocaine.

An indictment was handed up Thursday against Rolfi Ferreira-Cruz, 25, of Paterson, prosecutors said. He faces multiple possession and conspiracy charges, as well as a firearms-related count, with maximum penalties of more than 40 years in prison on the various charges.

Even before the Ortiz shooting, Cruz was already reportedly wanted in Clifton for a pair of robberies in 2017. 

Ortiz was shot on June 9 while at a bar in Santo Domingo. Surveillance footage of the scene showed a gunman walking up to Ortiz and shooting at him at close range, causing chaos and sending patrons running from the area.

Doctors on the island removed his gallbladder and part of his intestines before he was flown to Boston for more treatment last week.

Dominican authorities have arrested 11 people in the case. On Wednesday, in a stunning development, the country's attorney general said Ortiz was not actually the target of the shooting.

Instead, he said, the shooter was acting on orders from an alleged drug lord to target the man's cousin, who was seated at the same table as Ortiz. 

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