This week, a disastrous robbery took the life of a 9-year-old Bronx boy, Gioser Luís Feliz, just thirty minutes after he arrived in the Dominican Republic for vacation with his father, Sergio Luis Feliz.
The two had just flown in from JFK airport in New York City and were en route to a family member’s house when a gang of criminals in a rental vehicle began to follow the Feliz’s car.
When the driver of the Feliz’s car refused to pull over at the toll booth, the robbers proceeded to open fire, with a bullet hitting Gioser in the head. He was taken to a hospital soon after, but was pronounced dead shortly after.
The suspects fled the scene, but were located by police less than a day later. Luis Ángel Vargas Brito, Derlin Javier Mercado Martinez, Cesar Junior Ulloa Cuevas, José Manuel Almonte Santana and Elian Martínez Sánchez have all been taken into custody and have allegedly confessed to the shooting. The true motive of the attack remains unknown.
President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, publicly expressed outrage over the situation and has promised justice for the Feliz family.
Plans are now in place for the boy’s body to be transported back to New York City.