21:47, 06.06.2022
UPDATE: 22:52
The perpetrator ransacked the building – Large operation of the special forces
The Minister for the Environment of the Dominican RepublicOrlando Jorge Mera was assassinated by a close friend in his office, a spokesman for the presidency said.
“The information we have so far is that this morning the Minister of Environment lost his life in an armed attack on his office,” said Omero Figueroa.
“Miguel Cruz, the alleged perpetrator, was a personal friend of the minister,” he said, adding that he had been arrested and an investigation was under way to determine his motives.
According to three ministry sources, the gunman entered the minister’s office while the weekly meeting with the deputy ministers was in progress and opened fire. Workers at the building said they heard at least seven gunshots
Police have not yet issued any statement.
Mera, 55, was a legal and founding member of the Modern Revolutionary Party. He took over as Minister of Environment and Natural Resources in August 2020. He was also the son of former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982-86) and his son is an MP.
