David Ortiz Not Intended Target Of Shooting ... D.R. Officials Say
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Breaking News
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4:29 PM PT -- Officials say Sixto David Fernandez was the target of the attack because Victor Hugo Gómez believed Sixto "ratted him out" to police years ago.
The gunman who shot David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic earlier this month DID NOT mean to target Big Papi ... so say D.R. officials, who say it was Ortiz's FRIEND they wanted to kill.
D.R. police and prosecutors just announced Sixto David Fernandez -- who was allegedly sitting near Ortiz at Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on June 9 -- was supposed to be the target.
Unclear why Fernandez was the target. We're trying to gather information on who Fernandez is and what he does for a living. All we know so far is that cops say he's buddies with Ortiz.
Officials say the gunman who shot Big Papi from point-blank range in the back was confused by the clothing Ortiz was wearing and fired on him instead of Fernandez.
A cell phone image taken of Sixto by one of the alleged accomplices in the crime was allegedly used to identify Sixto for the hit.
But officials say the gunman mistook white items near Sixto as white pants (Ortiz was wearing white pants that night) ... and that's where the confusion all began.
Officials say they were able to confirm all this because they were able to obtain the picture that was circulated amongst the alleged criminals.
Officials also say a man named Victor Hugo Gómez -- a 43-year-old who's wanted in the United States after being caught in a major federal drug bust -- is the one who ordered the hit.
As we previously reported, officials say at least 10 people were paid around $8,000 to complete the hit.
25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz admitted to being the man behind the gun ... but said from his D.R. jail cell last week Ortiz was NOT his intended target.
Prosecutors say regardless of who the intended target was ... they still plan to pursue serious criminal charges against all of the alleged suspects.
Originally published -- 3:30 PM PT
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Bob Barker Home Smashed by Out-of-Control Car
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EXCLUSIVE
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No ... this is not the right way to "come on down" to Bob Barker's house.
The legendary 'Price is Right' host's manager tells TMZ ... the crash went down Tuesday outside his Hollywood Hills home. The vehicle slammed into the perimeter wall, but didn't get close to the house -- the 95-year-old former game show host was safely inside.
Law enforcement sources tell us the car was involved in a collision on the street, and the impact sent it flying into Barker's wall.
We're told everyone involved in the crash is okay -- there were no injuries to people, but clearly to vehicles ... and walls.
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Josh Elliott ATV Crash On 'First Responders Live' ... Driver Miraculously Survived!!!
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EXCLUSIVE
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Josh Elliott is here with some good news on the out-of-control ATV driver who led police on a wild chase that ended with him getting SMOKED by another car ... the dude somehow walked away alive!!!
The host of the new FOX reality series "First Responders Live" tells us the man recklessly riding around Baton Rouge and eluding cops before a super scary wreck is miraculously on the road to recovery ... and it's all thanks to the police and paramedics the show's TV cameras were embedded with.
Josh's new show premiered on FOX last Wednesday and it quickly proved why it's a raw, in-depth look at first responders ... because viewers were given front-row seats as a police chase turned into a horrifying car wreck in the blink of an eye, which Josh says illustrates the interplay between cops, firefighters and paramedics.
'FRL' embeds cameras in several cities across the country, documenting a night in the lives of the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect others.
Check out our clip ... Josh explains why dumb luck plays a key role in the show, and tells us how fortunate the ATV driver is to be alive.
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Courteney Cox Lookin' Fab at 55 ... Back in Mexico with Jen for Bday Fun
Courteney Cox is back in Mexico with Jennifer Aniston and her gal pals, and judging by her relaxed appearance ... getting there was a lot easier this time than the last girls getaway.
The "Cougar Town" star splashed in the waves on the beach in Cabo San Lucas Wednesday as she celebrated her 55th birthday with some of her best friends ... including her "Friends" costar.
The other ladies enjoying fun in the sun include actress Mary McCormack, Kristin Hahn, and Jason Bateman's wife, Amanda Anka.
It's unclear if Jimmy Kimmel's wife, Molly, made this trip, but you'll recall back in February ... she was with Jen, Courteney and Amanda when they had to make an emergency landing on the way to Cabo to celebrate Aniston's big 5-0.
Thankfully, there was no such scare that we know of for Cox's bday gathering ... just nothin' but a good time.
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Kimora Lee Simmons Not Keeping Our Kid from Djimon ... He's Just Absent!!!
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EXCLUSIVE
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Kimora Lee Simmons isn't keeping her son with Djimon Hounsou away from him, and definitely didn't ruin his Father's Day either -- it's all his own doing ... at least that's what people close to her are claiming.
Sources closely tied to Kimora say Djimon's recent griping that he wasn't able to see his son, Kenzo, for the holiday -- and suggesting it was Kimora's fault -- is completely backward ... 'cause he had every opportunity to make plans, but simply didn't.
You'll recall ... Djimon told a pap this week that he'd gotten screwed out of seeing -- let alone being able to talk to -- his son, and seemed to be pointing the finger at his baby mama.
We're told Sunday's missed opportunity to get together with the kid is just the latest in what we're told has become common in their relationship ... that Djimon allegedly doesn't go out of his way to make plans.
Our sources -- who are directly knowledgeable about this -- tell us Kimora has an open door policy when it comes to visitation. We're told she encourages the whole fam coming together as often as possible -- holidays, birthdays, etc. -- but Djimon hardly ever takes her up on it.
We've also been pointed to a lack of fresh Kenzo pics on Djimon's social media accounts, which seems to back up his Father's Day post. He put up a pic of him and Kenzo, but it appeared to be a throwback shot of the two of them together.
We're told the reason for that is simple ... Djimon doesn't hang out with him enough to post newer pics, which he has no one else to blame for but himself.
Our sources says Djimon doesn't seem himself lately, and that it's starting to play out in public.
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'Blind Side' Star Quinton Aaron I Was Hospitalized ... And It's Way More Serious Than I Thought
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EXCLUSIVE
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Quinton Aaron says what he believed to be a mere cold turned out to be something way more serious ... which he never would've caught had he not gotten checked out.
"The Blind Side" star -- who played the co-lead, Michael Oher, in the flick -- scared the crap out of people Tuesday when he posted a video of himself bedside in a hospital, saying he was gonna be alright ... but not disclosing what the heck was wrong with him.
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Well, we got to the bottom of it ... and it is definitely much worse than a cold. Try full-blown upper respiratory infection!!!
Quinton says he'd been battling what felt like bad congestion since early May. At first, he didn't think much of it, but tells us when his symptoms carried over into June ... he went to the hospital. Doctors realized Monday his blood pressure was high, so they decided to keep him overnight for further tests.
Check out the clip for the full diagnosis ... sounds like he might've dodged a bullet by seeing a doctor when he did, and Quinton seems to acknowledge as much.
Luckily for Quinton, he tells us he's walking out of the hospital Wednesday after being treated for a few days. Feel better, QA!
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Youth Baseball Brawl Full Video Shows Kids Running Scared ... Parents with Bats
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EXCLUSIVE
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TMZ Sports has obtained the full, unedited video of that terrifying brawl at a youth baseball game in Colorado ... and it's even worse than we thought.
The person who shot the June 15 footage at Westgate Elementary School in Lakewood tells us the violence began when a woman walked onto the field brandishing a baseball bat as a weapon ... and a male parent tried to take it away from her.
During the struggle over the bat (captured on video), some parents began attacking the man, beating him down to the ground.
The violence continued for several minutes while little kids -- terrified -- tried to run off the field for safety.
The parents continued to attack each other ... while scared parents in the stands begged the combatants to stand down.
At one point, the woman recording the brawl begins to pray to Jesus to send angels down from the heavens to stop the violence.
Eventually, the fighting stops -- but the arguing continues -- with parents from both teams screaming at each other to leave the field.
Other parents are shouting that the police have been called ... but it doesn't seem to scare anyone.
You can see other parents pacing around the field holding bats while they wait for cops to arrive.
Eventually, police did show up and issue citations to multiple people. They're still on the hunt for the man who threw a violent sucker punch to an unsuspecting parent, sending him down to the ground.
We're told from witnesses that the whole thing exploded from a dispute over the rules.
Long story short, one team showed up with 13 players -- the other with 8 ... and parents were unhappy with how the game was playing out.
Arguments broke out in the stands and, eventually, parents asked the 13-year-old umpire to put a stop to foul language being thrown around. It was NOT over a bad call by the ump.
But, things only got more heated from there ... and we're told when the woman walked onto the field with the bat, all hell broke loose.
Cops say between 15 and 20 adults were involved in the incident.
The Lakewood Police Dept. is especially upset at the dude in the white shirt and teal shorts who blindsided a man with a pretty violent shot to the head.
Cops say several people have already been cited in this fight for disorderly conduct and fighting in public -- but they're clearly not done yet.
Officials also say at least one of the injuries is being classified as "serious."
So far, it doesn't appear any children were injured in the fight.
Originally Published -- 6:59 AM PT
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Rob Kardashian & Blac Chyna Your Cyberbullying Cost Me $2 Million ... so Claims Her Ex BF
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EXCLUSIVE
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Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's alleged cyberbullying may prove costly ... so claims one of BC's ex's who's suing them for more than $2 mil.
Pilot Jones filed new legal docs saying he's been damaged to the tune of $2,113,800. He says the alleged cyberbullying and defamation caused him emotional distress in the amount of $500k. He also says Rob and Chyna's alleged attack on him fractured his family and he wants $250k for that.
But, there's more. He wants more than $250k for past and future medical expenses and $600k in lost earnings. And, there's still more ... he claims he somehow lost rent and that's another $7,200 and he wants reimbursement for a trip to Louisiana, where he fled back home after the alleged attack.
And last but not least ... he wants $500k in punitive damages.
TMZ broke the story ... Jones sued the former couple in 2017 ... claiming they blamed him for selling a pic to an outlet showing him making out with BC. He also claimed they outed him as bisexual and released his digits to the public ... which resulted in threats.
Remember ... Jones is the guy to whom Rob allegedly sent racist and homophobic messages, insinuating he might be the father to BC's then-unborn baby. Jones says things got so bad he tried to commit suicide.
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Carrie Underwood Sued You Jacked My 'Sunday Night Football' Song!!!
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EXCLUSIVE
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Carrie Underwood is accused of being a "Sunday Night Football" theme song stealer -- another singer claims Carrie straight jacked her hit, "Game On" ... and used it without permission.
The woman behind the suit is Heidi Merrill -- a singer who had success with the sports-themed song "Cornhusker Strong" back in 2015.
Merrill says she wanted to ride the wave and make more sports-themed music so she came up with the song "Game On" in 2016 and posted it to YouTube in March 2017.
In her suit, Merrill says she met Carrie Underwood's producer, Mark Bright, at an event in Nashville in August 2017 and asked if Carrie would be looking to create a new song for the 2018 NFL "Sunday Night Football" show open.
Merrill says she submitted the song to Bright -- but was eventually told Carrie's camp passed on using "Game On."
Fast forward to Sept. 2018 ... Merrill says she was shocked to see Underwood and NBC promoting a secret new theme song for 'SNF' ... which ended up being called "Game On."
Merrill says Carrie's version is "substantially -- even strikingly -- similar, if not identical" to her own song ... and she's pissed!
She's now suing Carrie, Mark Bright, NBC, the NFL and more for copyright infringement -- but she has not listed an amount she's looking for.
We reached out to Carrie's camp for comment -- so far, no word back. No comment from the NFL either.
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Chance the Rapper Meet Chance the Hacker!!! I'm Doing Stand-Up Now
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EXCLUSIVE
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12:30 PM PT -- Chance says his wife was responsible for persuading him to hop onstage, and he did a full 3 minutes and "conquered a fear of mine." He shared a little bit more of his material -- it's not too shabby ... especially the Chris Hansen joke!
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Chance the Rapper put on his comedian hat and used an open mic night to try out some new material, and the takeaway -- he is an amazingly talented ... rapper.
We kid, because ya really gotta hand it to him -- Chance was on a date with his wife, Kirsten Corley, Tuesday night at Chicago's Laugh Factory. After the main show, the club opened things up to the audience and Chance seized the opportunity.
Like most struggling comics ... his act needs some work. Check out the video ... the rapper gets off to a decent start by talking about how different groups of people know him for different things, and then he really goes for it -- with a fart joke!
It gets worse from there, and even Chance knows things are going off the rails after his fake news take. Fortunately, he seems to have a lot of goodwill with the crowd.
People in the club tell us he wrapped up his set pretty quickly after that ... before he could ruin it.
BTW -- here's Chance's Kit Kat commercial from a few years back ... in case you didn't get the reference in his stand-up set.
Originally Published -- 9:06 AM PT
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Slavery Reparations Hearing Huge Crowd Floods Capitol to Attend ... Danny Glover, Cory Booker Testify
Capitol Hill is buzzing -- almost literally -- for the first Congressional hearing on slavery reparations in a decade ... because a huge crowd is waiting to see Danny Glover and Sen. Cory Booker testify.
The loud scene unfolded Wednesday morning in the halls of Congress, where a seemingly endless throng assembled to show support for an issue that's gained a huge amount of traction this year.
Ya gotta see the video ... wannabe spectators packed into a tiny hallway outside the hearing -- an obvious illustration of just how monumental the hearing is for millions of Americans.
Booker, one of several Democratic presidential hopefuls expressing support for some form of reparations, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties ... and Glover was among the other speakers.
H.R. 40 calls for a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans, plus a formal apology from the U.S. government for human rights violations and "crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants."
The commission is supported by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- while Sen. Mitch McConnell said earlier this week he does not support reparations.
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'Kindergarten Cop' Star Busted for Public Intoxication, Harassment
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Breaking News
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9:52 AM PT -- Police arrested Tyson Wednesday morning after he was allegedly involved in a dispute with another individual around 2:45 AM.
Actor Richard Tyson -- best known for his role as the villain in "Kindergarten Cop" -- is in some serious hometown trouble after getting arrested.
The actor was busted early Wednesday morning for harassment and public intoxication in Mobile, Alabama. Tyson was born there and his brother, John Tyson Jr., was the former Mobile County District Attorney.
Cops in Mobile have not released the details behind what exactly led to Tyson's arrest.
Tyson has played TONS of TV and movie roles. Aside from his star-villain turn in 'Kindergarten' ... he also played Staff Sergeant Daniel Busch -- one of the soldiers in a doomed chopper -- in 2001's "Black Hawk Down."
He's still working a lot in Hollywood ... with more than a dozen projects in the works, completed or near completion.
But, of course, his biggest role is still as Cullen Crisp ... the drug dealer who went toe-to-toe with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 flick, "Kindergarten Cop."
Story developing ...
Originally published -- 9:33 AM PT
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R. Kelly Paid in Full on Child Support Dues ... So Says His Lawyer
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EXCLUSIVE
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R. Kelly once again wiped the slate clean when it comes to back child support ... 'cause he's all paid up until the next round ... according to his attorney.
Steven Greenberg says his client forked over the delinquent $32k in child support and interest that ex-wife Drea Kelly was demanding. Greenberg tells us the cash covers everything owed up to this point, and R. Kelly "doesn't owe one more single solitary cent" ... at least 'til next month's $21k child support payment is due.
As for how exactly R. Kelly's coming up with this kind of dough right when he needs it -- when just a few months ago it seemed he was struggling -- Greenberg tells us he assumes the singer's rolling in the royalties, although he notes he's not certain about that.
We know R. Kelly's been working some gigs here and there for income, but it doesn't seem he's been hitting the road much since his paid appearance in April. His crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, says they're working to secure more work in the near future.
The royalties thing could make sense -- R. Kelly's music streams have seen a spike since he's been corralled back into the spotlight. Presumably, those are paying off for him now.
Either way, Greenberg tells us that there shouldn't be any more significant issues with R. Kelly's child support payments going forward. He says he can't guarantee they'll always be made right on the dot, but they'll get to Drea without major hiccups as his criminal case proceeds.
We've reached out to Drea to confirm the $32k that Greenberg says has been paid ... so far, no word back.
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Cuba Gooding Jr. Face-to-Face with Accuser After Alleged Groping
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EXCLUSIVE
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Cuba Gooding Jr. and his accuser were nearly face-to-face one full hour AFTER he allegedly groped her breast in the NYC bar ... and she appears to be trying to interact with the actor. The question is ... why?
We've combed through well over an hour of the surveillance footage we obtained, and it shows one final encounter between the accuser and Gooding. Based on the video's time stamp ... at 11:19 PM on June 9 ... Cuba, his GF, Claudine De Niro, and the accuser all walked into the rooftop deck area of Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge.
The interaction is interesting ... Claudine walks in first and goes to talk to some friends. A mere TWO seconds later, the accuser walks in right behind Claudine ... and just THREE seconds later, Cuba walks into frame, accompanied by a security guard.
Gooding walks in the opposite direction of his GF, and walks right past the accuser. He's within a couple feet of her when a bar host starts walking and talking with him. The accuser attempts to walk right behind them, but is intercepted by the security guard, who gestures for her to walk in the opposite direction.
What's unclear is if she is trying to confront the Oscar winner about the alleged groping, or if she's trying to hang out with him.
JUNE 2019
Remember, this is 64 minutes after the accuser's first contact with Cuba ... when he clearly, and admittedly, touched her thigh. Right after that, she claims he touched her breast without consent. Gooding says he only reached for her hand to kiss it.
Back to 11:19 PM ... Claudine eventually followed Cuba and walked to the far end of the bar, off-camera with him, the host and the security guard. We know police arrived shortly thereafter. It's unclear exactly when the accuser called police -- whether it was before or after this 11:19 PM interaction.
Worth noting that at no point on the surveillance video we've obtained do you see an angry interaction between the accuser and Gooding that required security to step between them -- as was initially reported.
Gooding's lawyers, Mark Heller and Peter Toumbekis, dispute the accuracy of the time stamp on this video, because they say Cuba had left the bar around 10:45 PM.
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Cardi B & Offset Dranks Galore ... Party Hard for TakeOff's Bday
Takeoff was the man of the hour at his beverage-fueled surprise 25th birthday party ... but Cardi B made sure to grab some -- okay most -- of the attention.
Cardi and her husband, Offset, joined Quavo to celebrate the bday of their fellow Migos rapper in downtown L.A. Tuesday night, and the party theme was sweet ... as in loaded with sugary drinks, candy and cake.
The bash looked fun as hell too ... with a variety of arcade games, delicious food, and of course -- TakeOff's Drank Factory. According to Quavo, the party was thrown as a surprise for his pal ... he shared a post saying, "Surprise Take U Deserve It!!!"
Yes, sir!
As for the cake ... Cardi showed off plenty in a black fishnet getup accentuating her backside. Following her wardrobe malfunction at Bonnaroo, it appears she decided to go with a "less is more" approach to her outfit.
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Barack Obama Beaucoup Faces of Barack on Vacay ... Post-WH Life's a Dream!!!
Barack Obama is living the good life after his time in office, and you can tell by just how many ways he expressed that with his face during dinner in the south of France.
The former U.S. Prez was dining Tuesday at high-end restaurant L'Oustau de Baumanière in Provence -- where he and his fam are vacationing -- with Michelle and some pals. Michelle was seated across the table, enjoying a glass of red wine.
In the pics, Barack's face reveals what feels like 15 different shades of joy as he and the table get in on a toast and take group photos in between bites. 44 even took up camera duty at one point, and he seems like quite the savvy smartphone photog.
We've come to expect this type of setting from Obama in the few years since he's left The White House, and after 8 years ... he deserves every minute of R&R he can get.
My emotions during #InfinityWar as shown by Shia LaBeouf pic.twitter.com/PMZTCDyiwj
@JordonRaymond
As for this dinner scene, imagine the Shia LaBeouf roller coaster of emotions meme and multiply it by ten. It's a feel-good journey getting through this one.