Dominican Republic's Environment Minister Fatally Shot Inside Office [FILE]
The Dominican Republic’s Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, Orlando Jorge Mera, was shot and killed on Monday morning, June 6, during an attack on the ministry’s office buildings in Santo Domingo, according to a government statement.
In a video address, Homero Figueroa, the chief spokesman for President Luis Abinader, offered condolences to Mera’s family on behalf of the president and government, and described the death as a "terrible loss.
Figueroa said that early information indicated that Mera was shot inside his office and that a suspect, who was named as Miguel Cruz and described by Figueroa as a personal friend of the minister, was in police custody. The shooting was being investigated, Figueroa added.
The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources tweeted a statement expressing “profound sadness” over Mera’s death, and described the minister as “a sensitive citizen and committed public servant,” as well as “an exemplary father, son, and brother.”
The European Union’s delegation to the Dominican Republic offered its “deepest condolences” over the death.
The videos in this entry were posted on Mera’s official Twitter account on June 2 and June 5.
On June 2, Mera delivered a speech at Stockholm+50, a two-day international conference in Sweden on the climate crisis and environmental protections, and on June 5, he posted a video to mark World Environment Day. Credit: Orlando Jorge Mera via Storyful
