The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Orlando Jorge Mera was fatally shot in his government office by a close friend on Monday, the office of the president said in a statement. Miguel Cruz, the alleged assailant, has since been detained but officials did not provide a possible motive. Mera was the son of a former president and member of a prominent political family. Cruz was a childhood friend, Mera’s family said in a statement. Ministry employees told journalists that they heard at least seven shots ring out from inside the building. Mourners quickly surrounding the Santo Domingo offices. Bartolomé Pujals, a government official, called the death a “tragedy” and urged “peaceful coexistence” among Dominicans.