Police officials have said that the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Orlando Jorge Mera, has been shot dead inside his office by a man who is his childhood and personal friend.
The 55-year-old Minister was holding a meeting when he was attacked, shot and killed, with the police saying no fewer than six shots were heard.
A presidential spokesman who identified the murderer as Miguel Cruz described him as the Minister’s childhood friend.
The spokesman said: “He is now in custody. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.”
Mera’s family also released a statement shortly after the incident and said he was shot multiple times by a man he was friends with since childhood.
“Our family forgives the person who did this. One of Orlando’s greatest legacies was to not hold grudges,” the statement added.
Mera was the son of former President Salvador Jorge-Blanco and a founding member of the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). He served in incumbent President Luis Abinader’s administration since its inauguration in July 2020.
President Abinader expressed his sincere condolences to Mera’s family and revealed he deeply regretted the death of his good friend in a tweet.
Mera is survived by his wife who is the Dominican ambassador to Brazil, and two sons.
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