A deadly early-morning attack has rocked the Las Américas pedestrian zone in the Dominican Republic, leaving a 48-year-old taxi driver dead and law enforcement launching an urgent manhunt for four suspected perpetrators. The fatal shooting took place shortly after dawn on Friday, October 16, directly outside the Dr. Darío Contreras Traumatological Hospital, according to an official announcement from the Dominican National Police issued the same day.
The victim has been publicly identified as Feliz Valentín Casalinovo Trinidad. Preliminary investigative findings outline a clear robbery-related motive: the four suspects approached Trinidad posing as fare-paying passengers before ambushing him, shooting him to death, and stealing his personal belongings. The brazen public killing has prompted a coordinated multi-unit investigation to track down the attackers and build a solid case for prosecution.
Leading the probe are investigators from the National Police’s Homicide Division, which specializes in crimes against persons. They are working hand-in-hand with digital forensics experts from the Department of Investigation of High Technology Crimes (DICAT), who are leveraging advanced digital investigative techniques to uncover clues about the suspects’ identities and whereabouts. Meanwhile, officers from the Scientific Police unit have already processed the crime scene, where they collected multiple pieces of physical evidence to support the investigation. Investigators have also impounded the victim’s vehicle, a gray Hyundai Sonata LF, for further forensic examination.
As the investigation progresses to fully map out the circumstances of the killing and prepare to transfer the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, law enforcement has issued a public call for the four accused suspects to surrender voluntarily through any legal channel they choose. Dominican police emphasize that they are committed to bringing all those responsible for the fatal attack to justice. For ongoing updates on this developing case, the public can follow reporting from DominicanScope.