A child from New York City was fatally shot when he and his family arrived in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday for spring break.
Not long after 9-year-old Gioser Luis Féliz made it to the city of Santiago, he and his relatives were in a rental car when a group of six men started following their vehicle, per Dominican officials, Fox News reported Saturday.
When they exited Cibao International Airport the group tried to stop and rob them. The child’s father, Sergio Luis Feliz, and another individual were in their rented vehicle at the time, along with Gioser.
The group did not stop, and one of the suspects allegedly opened fire on them. A single bullet hit the child in the head and he later died during surgery.
An image shows the boy sitting on a bench beside a person who appears to be his father:
9-year-old Bronx boy Gioser Luís Feliz shot dead in Dominican Republic in botched robbery. pic.twitter.com/ZpB8Ovx9ep
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) April 21, 2023
Santiago police had arrested six men by Friday. Meanwhile, at least one of the suspects was reportedly a friend of the boy’s father.
“They know each other for ten years. It’s basically his brother. So he was the one to help him out, to go to the hospital. He was in the surgery for the kid. He was the one who went back to the father and told him, ‘He passed away, so sorry,’ crying,” the uncle explained.
Video footage shows three individuals carrying a small white casket and loading it into the back of a van, according to a clip from ABC 7:
The outlet noted the child’s body was being prepared to return to the United States. Meanwhile, his father remained in the Dominican Republic seeking answers regarding what happened.
Gioser’s father believes a picture of himself with his son shared online prior to their arrival drew the suspects’ attention and possibly made his son and himself targets.
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