Katy man arrested in 'Big Papi' shooting is being framed: Family
KATY, Texas -- The family of a Katy man accused of being the mastermind behind the mistaken identity shooting of former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz is speaking out only to ABC13 Eyewitness News.
Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez recorded a video for his family Thursday night, saying he knows what he is being accused of doing.
WATCH: Accused shooting 'mastermind' speaks out
Gomez said he is afraid and fears for his life because this has never happened to him.
His family gave ABC13's Mayra Moreno this video because they say they too fear for his life and theirs now that he is in custody of the Dominican Republic.
The family members we spoke with say they strongly believe he is being framed.
"They have used him as a scapegoat to protect someone that is high up politically," one family member said.
The family says an investigative reporter and lawyer in the Dominican Republic gave them information to believe there's a lot more to the story that Gomez allegedly targeted his cousin, Sixto David Fernandez.
Though he is already well known to U.S. authorities, having been charged in March 2019 as part of a drug trafficking sting in Houston, his family claims he would never harm anyone, something Gomez also expressed in his video.
"It's a harmful situation for all of us," a family member said. "We don't know what to expect, what's the next step and we just want to raise our voice."
While his family claims he's innocent, let's dig deeper into Gomez's rap sheet: He has been wanted here in the U.S. since March, when investigators announced indictments in what they called "Operation Wrecking Ball."
The targets were suspected Gulf cartel members.
Gomez faces charges of drug possession, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin, and conspiracy to conduct financial transactions with money earned unlawfully.
The Justice Department says Gomez and his co-defendants were smuggling dangerous drugs to large cities across the country, and throughout Houston. Again, he is now in custody in the Dominican Republic.
When we asked the family about the drug charges, they said Gomez has yet to have his day in court.
