The Dominican Republic’s Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera was shot dead on Monday by a gunman who burst into a weekly meeting at the ministry and opened fire, officials told AFP.
An elite police unit entered the ministry to search for the shooter, who was barricaded inside with hostages, according to local press.
Police declined to comment on the incident.
The shooter was reportedly an associate of Jorge Mera’s and had access to a secure area, sources who declined to be named said.
The environment ministry said on Twitter it was “dismayed by the situation that took place this Monday morning, right now we do not have any details.”
Jorge Mera, who was the son of former president Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982-86), was holding a regular meeting with his deputy ministers.
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© Agence France-Presse
