The Dominican Minister of the Environment, Orlando Jorge Mera, was shot dead by a friend of his. The man was arrested.
The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Environment, Orlando Jorge Mera, was shot and killed Monday in his ministry office in Santo Domingo by a relative who was arrested, various official sources said.
Lawyer and politician, Jorge Mera, 55, son of former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982-1986) had been at the head of the Ministry of the Environment since August 2020.
“In the early hours of the day today (Monday) the Minister of the Environment lost his life in an armed attack in his office”, announced the spokesman for the presidency, Homero Figueroa, specifying that “the shooter “who was arrested, “was a personal friend of the Minister”.
The prosecution said in a statement to deepen the investigation to determine the circumstances of the tragedy and present the charges against the accused in court.
The victim’s family said the alleged shooter, Miguel Cruz, was “a childhood friend whom (the minister) received in his office”.
The shootings, seven in number according to the local press, occurred while the minister was holding a weekly meeting with his deputy ministers, sources inside the ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Being a close friend of the victim, he had no trouble getting through ministry security in Santo Domingo. He was arrested in a church located about 3 kilometers from the ministry.
Retaliation for the closure of a cement plant he owned
Mr. Cruz “handed over the weapon to a priest to whom he explained that he had committed a crime, without however indicating who the victim was,” the prosecutor’s office said.
“Assassin… you killed a good man!” a man shouted as Mr. Cruz entered the van wearing handcuffs, a helmet and a bulletproof vest.
“The circumstances of the incident and its subsequent investigation are in the hands of the competent authorities,” the family statement added without further details.
According to sources close to the investigation, Miguel Cruz is a businessman in conflict with the policy of the Minister of the Environment. According to the press, he committed this crime in retaliation for the closure on the orders of Jorge Mera of a cement factory which he owned.
In an interview with the local press in March, Orlando Jorge Mera said that he had brought some 2,300 cases to court in less than two years, notably for violations of environmental permits or illegal logging.
The Dominican government declared three days of national mourning and ordered the Ministry of Defense to pay tribute to Jorge Mera.
“I deeply regret the passing of my good friend, our Minister, Orlando Jorge Mera. My sincere condolences to his wife Patricia and his children Orlando and Patricia Victoria,” President Luis Abinader wrote on Twitter.
His death recalls the murder of Santo Domingo Este Mayor Juan de los Santos in December 2015, also shot by a friend.