Dominican Republic Environment Minister Shot and Killed in Office by Close Friend

The minister of the environment and natural resources for the Dominican Republic was shot and killed in his office on Monday.

The Associated Press reports Orlando Jorge Mera, 55, the son of former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco, was fatally shot by Miguel Cruz in his office at the Ministry of Tourism, which is located in the capital of Santo Domingo. Cruz has since been detained by police.

“We express our deepest condolences,” the office of President Luis Abinader said in a statement.

Mera’s family also released a statement following the shooting, revealing that Jorge was shot multiple times and that Cruz was a childhood friend of the minister’s.

“Our family forgives the person who did this,” Mera’s family wrote in their statement. “One of Orlando’s greatest legacies was to not hold grudges.”

Bartolomé Pujals, executive director of the government’s cabinet of innovation, said that Mera’s death is a “tragedy.”

“His death is a tragedy,” Pujals said. “We Dominicans have to come together to achieve a pact for peace and peaceful coexistence. No more violence.”

Mera, who was also an attorney and a founding member of the Modern Revolutionary Party, was appointed minister of the environment and natural resources in August 2020. He is survived by his wife, the Dominican ambassador to Brazil, as well as two sons.