9-Year-Old NYC Boy Killed After Arriving In The Dominican Republic For Vacation

A 9-year-old New York City boy was fatally shot during an ambush in the Dominican Republic Wednesday, and police arrested six men in connection with the incident, including a family friend.

The young Bronx boy, identified as Gioser Luís Feliz, and his father, Sergio Luis Feliz, had just landed at Santiago’s Cibao International Airport from New York’s JFK airport Wednesday for spring break when the incident occurred, Univision reported.

The father and the son were headed to a relative’s house in a rented car when they were ambushed by a group of robbers who had followed the family from the airport, police said.

The assailants opened fire at the vehicle that Sergio and Gioser were traveling in when the family’s driver refused to pull over after going through a toll booth, according to police.

One of the bullets pierced the left rear passenger side window of the rented Honda CRV and struck the fourth grader, who was riding in the back seat, in the head.

“I just looked back and saw my son bleeding out,” the boy’s father stated, according to ABC 7.

The boy was rushed to the hospital but did not survive. It was not mentioned if the elder Feliz was injured in the shooting.

The gunmen fled the scene but were tracked down by authorities.

Five men were taken into custody Thursday over the fatal shooting. They were identified as Santiago residents Derlin Javier Mercado Martinez, Cesar Junior Ulloa Cuevas, 18-year-old Luis Ángel Vargas Brito, 20-year-old José Manuel Almonte Santana (Buki) and 22-year-old Elian Martínez Sánchez (Odalis).

According to authorities, all five admitted to shooting at the family’s vehicle. However, investigators have yet to reveal whether the ambush was targeted or random.

On Friday, police announced that a sixth man, Tomás Peña Morel, 32, was also arrested in connection to the incident.

Morel was said to be a friend of the boy’s father and would have been familiar with the family’s travel route and itinerary, unnamed sources told Diario Libre.

Police said five women were also detained for investigative purposes.

Julian Feliz, the uncle of Gioser and the brother of his father Sergio, told Eyewitness News that the driver of the family’s car was not involved.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader blasted the deadly incident. He wrote on Twitter that he was closely monitoring developments and that justice must be served in the case.

“Since I found out about the death of the child Gioser Luis Féliz, I am following up on the case,” Abinader tweeted.

“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 continued.

Preparations are now being made to bring back the remains of the 9-year-old boy to New York City.