Heartbroken father warns parents not to upload ‘anything’ about travel to social media after his son, 9, was shot dead by assailants just 30 minutes after landing in the Dominican Republic
- Goiser Luís Feli, 9, was shot just 30 minutes after he arrived in the Dominican Republic with his family.
- After the driver of the car in which they were caught was targeted by a gang of robbers, the driver refused to stop
- The American child was shot in the head and died while undergoing surgery in a nearby hospital
A 9-year-old American boy was shot dead by smugglers just half an hour after landing in the Dominican Republic.
Geocer Luis Fili arrived at Santiago’s Cibao International Airport for a spring break trip with his family on Wednesday, shortly before a gang of robbers targeted their car.
It was reported that the driver of the car refused to stop after the thieves hit it, then opened fire before driving away quickly.
Geoser was tragically shot in the head, and died in hospital while undergoing surgery, according to the report Diario Libre.
The day after the attack, the National Police arrested five men involved in the shooting, namely Luis Ángel Vargas Prieto, 18, Derlin Javier Mercado Martínez, Cesar Jr. Oloa Cuevas, José Manuel Almonte Santana, 20, and Elian Martínez Sánchez, 22. .
Geocer Luis Fili, 9, died after being shot in the head during an attempted robbery shortly after he and his family arrived in the Dominican Republic.
The tragic shooting took place after the family was arrested by an unnamed friend of the boy’s father, Sergio Luis Feliz Mancebo.
After landing in the Dominican Republic for baby’s spring break, they’re expected to spend several days in the country before returning to New York next Monday.
In a video released after he lost his son, Sergio said the robbers intercepted the family 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 tried to flee.
One of the bullets hit the boy in the head, and he was taken to a local hospital for emergency surgery before being declared dead. His body will be transported to the United States.
The attackers fled the scene in a white Hyundai, which police used to track and arrest them after discovering they had rented it shortly before the botched robbery.
A press release added that the men “confessed their participation” in the shooting.
“These detainees were caught by surveillance cameras at this station and from there they tracked down the victim’s father,” a police spokesman added after the arrests.
The boy’s father, Sergio Luis Feliz Mancebo, told police the robbers opened fire when the car’s driver refused to stop.
The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said he was “pursuing the case” after the boy’s death shocked the nation
The boy’s father has warned travelers not to share information on social media when traveling to the Dominican Republic, after he posted photos of the family at JFK airport as they waited to board the plane on Wednesday.
The death of the 9-year-old sent shockwaves throughout the Dominican Republic, with the country’s president, Luis Abenader, applauding the news of the arrests.
“Since learning of the death of baby Joycere Luis Feliz, I have been following the case,” he said on Twitter.
The Director of National Police has informed me that 5 criminals who committed this horrible crime have been arrested. Now justice must be guaranteed in the courts.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
