masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgAccording to this report on CNN, Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon claims that the shooting death of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic was accidental. Simon also states that he was friends with the victim.

“In truth, that young man was my friend, like a brother,” Simon said of Michael Esteban Castillo. “It wasn’t a thing like we began arguing and I started shooting. It was some accident; it happened by accident. That’s why I came here – to open my soul.”

Puerto Plata District…According to this report on CNN, Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon claims that the shooting death of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic was accidental. Simon also states that he was friends with the victim.

“In truth, that young man was my friend, like a brother,” Simon said of Michael Esteban Castillo. “It wasn’t a thing like we began arguing and I started shooting. It was some accident; it happened by accident. That’s why I came here – to open my soul.”

Puerto Plata District Attorney Victor Mieses said today that he will seek three months of incarceration against Simon and widen the investigation, which is routine in these situations.

Simon continues to insist that he fired two shots into the air. He turned in his gun today before meeting with law enforcement officials.

The CNN report includes the following quote from Julio Lugo, Simon’s teammate with the Orioles last season: “We’re concerned about his career or whether he’s going to have to go to jail. We don’t know if it was him. He wants to clear up what happened, but no one really knows if it was him for sure.”

Update: I don’t want to file another Simon entry – we’ve got plenty of them today – so I’ll just add here that John Stockstill, the Orioles’ director of player development who formerly held the title of director of international scouting, is en route to the Dominican as we speak. We just exchanged text messages. He wants to meet with Simon and gather more details about the New Year’s Eve shooting.