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Cops: Suspect in Ortiz shooting was offered $7.8K

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Ortiz making significant improvement after second surgery (0:54)

Marly Rivera explains that David Ortiz has taken "a few steps" following a second surgery after being shot in the Dominican Republic. (0:54)

An early evening perp walk on Thursday at the Santo Domingo Palace of Justice revealed that there are now nine suspects, including two women, under arrest in what Dominican police are now calling the attempted assassination of former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz.

All nine suspects are now officially entered into the Dominican criminal system, meaning they can be held indefinitely until the police investigation is complete, no matter how long that may take.

Witnesses say the shooting was carried out by two men on a motorcycle and two other groups of people in cars.

"Nobody involved in this lamentable episode will remain in impunity, not even the material or intellectual author" of the crime, chief prosecutor Jean Alain Rodriguez said Wednesday.

Authorities have declined to give a motive for the shooting at a popular Santo Domingo bar Sunday night.

Among the suspects in custody is the alleged shooter, identified by authorities as Rolfy Ferreyra, aka Sandy.

Police Maj. Gen. Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said the alleged coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to carry out the shooting. He said the alleged coordinator also is in custody.

Among the other suspects still at large is Luis Alfredo Rivas Clase, aka The Surgeon, prosecutors said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in Boston, Ortiz's wife said in a statement that the former Red Sox slugger was able to sit up and take some steps as he recuperates in the intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"His condition is guarded, and he will remain in the ICU for the coming days, but he is making good progress toward recovery," Tiffany Ortiz said in the statement.

On Wednesday night, Ortiz's daughter Alex also sent a message of thanks via Instagram.

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I would like to formally thank everyone who has reached out so kindly to feed us, transport us, and support us. Those who have extended prayers, thoughts, and love, I thank you. If there is one thing this world should know it is the admiration I have for this man, my father. I find myself complaining on a daily basis yet chaos has struck but my dad hasn't complained once. I promise on my life he has not once looked for pity, tears, or even indicated how he feels in his current state. He may be hungry (he's eating only ice right now) and he may be tired but you know what he said not more than 3 minutes ago? "Even the toothpaste tastes good here." I hoped to share a bit of optimism in a time like this. People keep asking: [if] there is anything [they] can do. There is one thing everyone can do. Anytime you want to complain or feel sorry practice David's method and turn that sorrow into optimism. #myRemarkableDadDavid #IceChipDiet #ThankYouDoctorsDominicanandAmerican

A post shared by Alexandria Ortiz (@alex.veda.ortiz) on

Eliezer Salvador, who Ortiz's wife, called a hero in a statement on Thursday, was with Ortiz when he was shot and immediately put Ortiz in his SUV and drove him to a nearby urgent care center. Salvador, who didn't know Ortiz other than saying hello a few times, told ESPN it was a natural reaction and at no point did he believe Ortiz would die, though he said Ortiz asked him several times if he was going to die.

Prosecutors have said the two men on the motorcycle were seen on security camera footage talking with other people in a gray Hyundai Accent and in another Hyundai on a nearby street before the shooting.

One of the suspects, Oliver Moises Mirabal Acosta, was seen driving the Accent before mounting a motorcycle driven by Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia, 25, the prosecutors said in a court document.

"In one of the videos, it was possible to observe both the accused and the shooter planning the commission of the incident right on Octavio Mejia Ricart Street, which is parallel to the place where the event took place," the prosecutors said.

The document also revealed ineptitude, saying the motorcycle driver, Feliz Garcia, was captured after he skidded and fell off his bike as the pair tried to flee. Enraged onlookers captured Feliz Garcia and beat him bloody before handing him over to police.

Mirabal Acosta was captured Tuesday night in the town of Mao in the northern Dominican Republic.

Feliz Garcia's lawyer said his client, who has been charged with being an accomplice to attempted murder, is an innocent motorcycle taxi driver who had no idea his passenger was going to commit a crime.

"He didn't know what they were going to do. He's a fan of David's," the attorney, Deivi Solano, said Tuesday.

Ortiz, 43, frequently travels to Santo Domingo, where his father and a sister live. He was active in the social scene there, hitting nightspots with friends who included TV personalities and Dominican reggaeton musicians.

Beloved in his hometown, Ortiz traveled the dangerous streets of the Dominican capital with little or no security, trusting his fans to protect him, according to friends.

The Dominican Republic is one of the world's most dangerous countries. The murder rate stands at 12.5 killings per 100,000 people, placing the country in the top 10-15 percent of the most violent countries in the world, according to U.S. State Department data.

ESPN's Pedro Gomez and information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.