Dominican Republic Minister Shot Dead by His Childhood Friend | Possible Motive Revealed

Dominican Republic minister Orlando Jorge Mera was fatally shot in his office by a childhood friend over rejected environmental permits.

According to Al Jazeera, court documents obtained by the Associated Press showed that attacker Fausto Miguel de Jesus Cruz de la Mota was described by authorities as a "cold and calculating murderer."

Cruz reportedly complained of not receiving preferential treatment from Jorge Mera despite campaigning to support the environment minister's Modern Revolutionary Party ahead of the 2020 election.

Before the attack on Monday, Cruz said that he campaigned, but they were not helping him. In a statement, the Dominican Republic's Department of Justice said the accused had been trying to acquire multiple permits but complained angrily that no one was helping him solve anything.

According to the court documents, Cruz was angry over a denied permit involving a request to export 4,500 tons of used batteries.

Those permits and others were found inside Cruz's briefcase that he was carrying when he fatally shot Jorge Mera. Cruz was arrested after he walked into a church and confessed to a priest what he did.

Dominican Republic Minister Orlando Jorge Mera Shot Dead

Heavily armed police officers arrested Cruz at the church in the capital of Santo Domingo, about a 15-minute drive from the office, where Jorge Mera, the country's minister of the environment and natural resources, was shot.

According to Associated Press, Cruz wore a helmet and bulletproof vest and kept his head mostly down as he was being brought out.

Jorge Mera came from a powerful political family in the Dominican Republic. He is the son of former President Salvador Jorge Blanco, who ruled the country from 1982 to 1986.

Jorge Mera's sister, Dilia Jorge, is a vice minister in the Innovation, Transparency, and Citizen Attention Ministry. His wife is the ambassador to Brazil.

Jorge Mera's son, Orlando Salvador Jorge, is a lawmaker for the governing Modern Revolutionary Party, of which the 55-year-old minister is a founding member.

In a statement, the family described Cruz as "a childhood friend whom Jorge Mera received in his office."

The family added that they forgive "the person who did this." They said one of Jorge Mera's "greatest legacies was to not hold grudges."

Death of the Dominican Republic Minister

The killing took place in Orlando Jorge Mera's fourth-floor office in the capital of Santo Domingo. Local media reported that at least seven shots were heard, and the police and emergency personnel quickly swarmed the crime scene.

Initially, the police did not have any clear motive for the shooting. Before he surrendered, Cruz, while in the church, was in a phone conversation with authorities, promising to turn himself in if they guaranteed he would not be killed.

Several officials extended their condolences to Orlando Jorge Mera's family.

"I deeply regret the death of my good friend, our minister, Orlando Jorge Mera. My most sincere condolences to his wife Patricia and his children Orlando and Patricia Victoria," Dominican Republic's President Luis Abinader tweeted.

Bartolomé Pujals, executive director of the government's Cabinet of Innovation, also lamented the killing.

"His death is a tragedy... We Dominicans have to come together to achieve a pact for peace and peaceful coexistence. No more violence," Pujals noted.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Dominican Republic Minister Jorge Mera Shot Dead in Office, Police Detain the Suspect From a Church - From WION