Dominican Republic‘s environment minister Orlando Jorge Mera shot dead

The Dominican Republic‘s minister of environment and natural resources Orlando Jorge Mera has been shot to death in his office by a close friend, the office of the president said in a statement.

The attack took place on Monday night in Mera’s fourth-floor office in Santo Domingo, authorities said.

Fausto Miguel de Jesus Cruz de la Mota was later arrested after confessing the crime to a priest at a local church.

The family of Jorge Mera, who is the son of former President Salvador Jorge Blanco, in a statement described the attacker as “a childhood friend whom [Jorge Mera] received in his office”.

“Our family forgives the person who did this. One of Orlando’s greatest legacies was to not hold grudges,” the statement said.

Source: Aljazeera