BOSTON (NewsNation) — David Ortiz, the long-beloved Boston Red Sox first baseman and designated hitter, who ranks 17th on the all-time home run list with his 541 home runs and was known as one of the greatest clutch hitters in baseball history, may finally know who shot him in 2019 and why they did it.

Former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis led the investigation, and kept its findings close to the vest until the suspect was in U.S. custody.

Ortiz said he doesn’t know why someone would want him dead, but he’s thankful he’s alive and is not planning on living his life in hiding.

The shooting happened on June 9, 2019. The then-retired Ortiz was sitting at a bar in the Domincan Republic capital of Santo Domingo when someone shot him in the back at point-blank range.

Until now, the consensus explanation for the attempt on Ortiz’s life has been that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, that the hitmen were actually targeting the man Ortiz was with, “Sixto David Hernandez.” But according to Davis, who now works as a private investigator, Ortiz was the target after all.

Over the course of a six-month investigation, Davis was told that international drug kingpin Cesar Peralta was jealous of Ortiz and felt disrespected by the Dominican former star.

Peralta reportedly placed the bounty on Ortiz and greenlit the hit squad that went after him. By some accounts, the two were friends. Others characterize them as simply acquaintances.

Dominican authorities did not cooperate with Davis’ investigation, which of course runs counter to their official version of events, that it was all a mistake.

Peralta is currently being held in jail in Puerto Rico on unrelated charges of conspiring to import cocaine and heroin. He hasn’t yet been charged in relation to Ortiz’s shooting and his lawyer denies he had any involvement. As of now, 13 people have been charged in relation to the shooting and are awaiting trial.

Ortiz was seriously injured in the shooting. He lost his gall bladder and part of his intestine. He will be welcomed into Cooperstown this summer, having been named a first-ballot selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January.