David Ortiz underwent surgery to remove part of his colon, and his gall bladder and liver were also damaged in the attack.
Barack Obama is sending this thoughts and prayers to baseball icon David Ortiz, who was shot at a bar in his native Dominican Republic on Sunday.
“Six years ago, David Ortiz's spirit and resolve helped us all begin to heal from the Boston Marathon bombing. Today, I want to join many others in wishing him a speedy recovery of his own. Get well soon, Papi,” Obama wrote on social media with a photo of him and the former player.
The former Boston Red Sox player, better known by his nickname "Big Papi", was shot at close range in the back. He's currently in the intensive care unit after undergoing surgery to remove part of his colon. His gall bladder and liver were also damaged.
Grainy footage shows a man approach him and fire. The bullet apparently went through Ortiz and stuck his friend, TV host Jhoel Lopez. They were seen outside the Santo Domingo club before the attack.
The suspect, Eddy Feliz Garcia, 25, was immediately surrounded by the crowd at the club and beaten bloody before police arrived and arrested him.
No motive for the shooting is known. A suspected second gunman is still at large.
The Red Sox sent a jet to the Dominican Republic to be on standby to bring Ortiz back to Boston for treatment as soon as he's able to travel. The team is also reportedly making arrangements to have Ortiz treated at world-renown Massachusetts General Hospital.
The 43-year-old Ortiz is beloved in Boston, where he played for 14 seasons and helped the Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years in 2004.
He's also credited with helping Boston bounce back in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
In a speech during the Sox’s first game at Fenway after the tragedy, he did not hold back.
“This is our f***ing city,” he told the crowd, who cheered him on.
Ortiz retired in 2016. He spends half the year in his native Dominican Republic.
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