Dominican environment minister shot dead in office

The Dominican Republic's Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Orlando Jorge Mera was shot dead in his office. The officials said, the Minister was holding a meeting at the time of the attack. At least six shots were heard.  The attack took place on Monday night in Mera’s fourth-floor office in Santo Domingo, authorities said. Fausto Miguel de Jesus Cruz de la Mota was later arrested after confessing the crime to a priest at a local church. Authorities said they were investigating the motive.  According to sources the two men had recently been at loggerheads over environmental policy, although the details of the dispute were not clear.

A Presidential Spokesman identified the assailant describing him as a childhood friend of the Minister. Local media reports that the assailant is now in custody. The motive for the shooting remains unclear. In a tweet, Dominican Republic's President Abinader expressed his condolences. The 55-year-old minister came from a powerful political family. Beyond his father, who served as president from 1982 to 1986, his sister is a vice minister in Abinader’s administration. His wife is ambassador to Brazil. His son is a legislator in the Modern Revolutionary Party, of which Jorge was a founding member along with Abinader.