According to General Neivis Perez Sanchez, director of the Cibao Police Department, a committee made up of high-ranking police officers has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding an incident when shots were fired at the vehicle in which the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Abel Martinez was passing through Navarrete on Monday night, 7 October.
Perez Sanchez blamed the shooting on local protest strike organizers and said that the vehicle was on its way back to Santo Domingo from Moncion where Martinez had been visiting relatives. According to reports, other vehicles were shot at in the same area and luckily no one was hurt.
Perez Sanchez said that Martinez’ security detail heard the shots but did not realize at the time that a rear wheel arch on the vehicle had been hit.
General Perez Sanchez said that it was thought that the attack was not a direct attack on the legislator but an example of antisocial behavior by vandals that often happened in the Navarrete area.