American boy, 9, shot dead in botched robbery during family vacation to Dominican Republic

Five men have been arrested in connection with the shooting

An American boy was killed after he arrived with his family in the Dominican Republic in what police believe to be a botched robbery planned by a family friend.

Nine-year-old Gioser Luis Féliz was fatally shot on Wednesday 19 April, just 30 minutes after his flight from New York landed at the Cibao International Airport in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.

The suspects allegedly targeted Sergio Luis Feliz Mancebo, the child’s father, and Mr Feliz Mancebo’s partner. The assailants ambushed the family as they drove a rental car to a nearby province, Univision reported.

A friend of Mr Feliz Mancebo, who had picked up the family from the airport, tried to escape from the violence when the suspects opened fire on the vehicle. The gunmen, who were driving a white Hyundai Sonata, then fled the scene, according to Diario Libre.

Gioser sustained a gunshot to the head and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Sources told Diario Libre on Friday that Tomás Peña Morel, a close friend of the child’s father, has been arrested for allegedly providing details about Mr Feliz Mancebo’s trip to the gunmen.

Mr Peña Morel, who reportedly visited the morgue with the grieving father as he claimed Gioser’s body, is now accused of scheming the robbery.

His arrest comes a day after President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader decried the tragedy and announced the arrest of five other men in connection with the shooting.

The other suspects have been identified as Luis Angel Vargas Brito, 18; Derlin Javier Mercado Martínez; César Junior Ulloa Cuevas; José Manuel Almonte Santana, 20; and Elian Martínez Sánchez, 22.

“I’ve been constantly briefed about developments in the case,” Mr Abinader tweeted on Thursday.

Speaking with local media, the child’s father said he believes the assailants intended to rob him. The family planned to spend Gioser’s spring break in Santiago before returning to New York on Monday.

Gioser’s body is expected to be repatriated to the US, Diario Libre reports.

More details are expected to be released by authorities as the investigation unfolds.

The US State Department advises Americans to exercise increased caution when travelling to the Dominican Republic due to crime.