The Dominican Republic’s minister of the environment and natural resources was shot and killed in his office on Monday, according to officials.
Authorities said Orlando Jorge Mera was shot by a close friend. No further details were immediately available.
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“We are troubled by the situation,” Mera's ministry said in a brief statement.
Bartolomé Pujals, executive director of the government’s Cabinet of Innovation, wrote that he lamented the killing.
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“His death is a tragedy,” he said. “We Dominican have to come together to achieve a pact for peace and peaceful coexistence. No more violence.”
Mera also was an attorney and a founding member of the Modern Revolutionary Party. He was appointed minister of the environment and natural resources in August 2020.
