A family friend allegedly planned the robbery that left a 9-year-old American boy dead in the Dominican Republic earlier this week.
Gioser Luís Feliz arrived at Cibao International Airport in Santiago for a spring break trip with his family Wednesday shortly before their car was targeted by a gang of thieves.
Tomás Peña Morel, 32, was arrested alongside five others in connection to the murder of Gioser Luis Feliz, who was shot in the head after leaving the airport with father Sergio Luis Feliz.
Morel is a friend of the elder Feliz, according to officials. Feliz had warned travelers not to share information on social media when travelling to the Dominican Republic, after he posted photos of the family at JFK Airport as they waited to board their flight Wednesday.
‘It was an attempt to rob me of my belongings without me knowing who it would be because it was my first time coming to Santiago,’ Sergio said, admitting that he and his son would be the ideal victims.
Tomás Peña Morel (pictured), 32, was arrested alongside five others in connection to the murder of Gioser Luis Feliz, who was shot in the head after leaving the airport with father Sergio Luis Feliz
A family friend allegedly planned the robbery that left a 9-year-old American boy Gioser Luís Feli (pictured) dead in the Dominican Republic earlier this week
Luis Angel Vargas Brito, 18, Derlin Javier Mercado Martínez, César Junior Ulloa Cuevas, José Manuel Almonte Santana, 20, and Elian Martínez Sánchez, 22, were all also arrested.
Five women were also taken into custody by police but have not been charged, nor have police confirmed their connection to the murder.
Gioser’s uncle told the media that Feliz’s father and Morel have known each other for over 10 years and were ‘basically brothers.’
‘Since I found out about the death of the child Gioser Luis Féliz, I am following up on the case,’ said Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader in a statement.
‘I have been informed by the Director of the National Police about the arrest of the 5 criminals who committed this horrendous crime. Now justice must be ensured in the courts,’ he added.
The family is now working on getting Gioser’s body back to New York so a funeral can be held.
Reports indicated that the driver of the car refused to stop after it was set upon by the muggers, who then opened fire before speeding away.
Gioser was tragically struck in the head, and he died in hospital while undergoing surgery, according to Diario Libre.
Morel, seen here with Feliz, had been friends with the father for over a decade
Gioser Luís Feli arrived at Cibao International Airport in Santiago for a spring break trip with his family Wednesday shortly before their car was targeted by a gang of thieves
Gioser’s uncle told the media that Feliz’s father Sergio (pictured) and Morel have known each other for over 10 years and were ‘basically brothers.’
The tragic shooting unfolded after the family was picked up by an unnamed friend of the boy’s father, Sergio Luis Feliz Mancebo.
After landing in the Dominican Republic for the child’s spring break, they were expected to spend several days in the country before returning to New York next Monday.
In a video posted after he lost his son, Sergio said the family was intercepted by the muggers as they passed through a toll booth.
The gang then opened fire when the driver of the car, one of the father’s friends, refused to stop and attempted to flee.
One of the bullets hit the boy in the head, and he was rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery before he was pronounced dead. His body will be transported back to the United States.
The assailants fled the scene in a white Hyundai, which police used to track them down and arrest them after discovering they had rented it shortly before the botched mugging.
A press release added that the men ‘admitted their participation’ in the shooting.
‘These detainees were captured by video surveillance cameras in this terminal and from there they followed the father of the victim,’ added a police spokesperson following the arrests.
The boy’s father, Sergio Luis Feliz Mancebo, told police that the muggers opened fire when the driver of the car refused to stop
President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said he had been ‘following up on the case’ after the boy’s death shocked the nation
The boy’s father warned travelers not to share information on social media when travelling to the Dominican Republic, after he posted photos of the family at JFK Airport as they waited to board their flight Wednesday.
The 9-year-old’s death caused shockwaves across the Dominican Republic, with news of the arrests being praised by the nation’s president, Luis Abinader.
‘Since I found out about the death of the child Gioser Luis Féliz, I have been following up on the case,’ he said on Twitter.
‘I have been informed by the Director of the National Police about the arrest of the 5 criminals who committed this horrendous crime. Now justice must be ensured in the courts.’
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
