David Ortiz speaks for first time publicly about Dominican Republic shooting

BOSTON — For the first time, we're hearing from David Ortiz about the shooting in the Dominican Republic that left him hospitalized for weeks.

Most importantly Red Sox fans are just glad David Ortiz will make a full recovery from the shooting.

"I think his comeback is a great story," said Jack Barnhart, a Red Sox fan.

A comeback story finally made public by David Ortiz himself. The former Red Sox star opened up about getting shot in the D.R. in an interview with The Boston Globe.

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"I felt a burning sensation. I felt weird, like not myself, as I went down." Ortiz told the Globe.

"I was shocked because, I mean, that's not something I would have expected especially from David Ortiz," Barnhart said.

Red Sox fans were upset and surprised that Ortiz was shot in the first place.

Ortiz told the Globe:

"People need to understand, this isn't a movie where you get shot in the street and you're back two minutes later," he said. "No, I got shot and almost died. I only have one life to live. I can't just go to the pharmacy and buy another one."

"It's nice to see all the sentiments he's been expressing," said Jen Hubbard of Boston. "Just that he can't take life for granted anymore, and as a Red Sox fan I'm happy for him."

Fans are just happy Ortiz survived and was able to get the care he needed in Boston.

"When they said he was coming to MGH, I was like, 'yep that’s where he needs to be, that's who's going to save him,'" Hubbard said.

While several people were arrested for the shooting, the investigation isn't over.

Related: David Ortiz hires former BPD commissioner to investigate motive of Dominican shooting

Ortiz told the Globe:

"I want to find out who did this," he said. "I'm not going to sit around and chill if there's somebody out there who wants to kill me."

Fans want to know the same thing and will be there to support Ortiz every step of the way.

"We got you Big Papi, we love you!" Hubbard said.

Ortiz also told the Globe he plans return as a Fox Sports analyst for the MLB playoffs in October, but he doesn’t expect to be fully recovered until around Thanksgiving.

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