this is "nightline." tonight. >> there's a new nba champion! >> the toronto raptors, a historic first for the canadian team as they beat a dynasty and bring home the gold. also tonight, the big papi plot. david ortiz in intensive care, and the intensive search for a motive. new surveillance video catching a brazen and brutal shooting, showing the alleged gunman opening fire at point blank range. what we now know about the investigation. plus, beyond matchbox 20. the smooth rock star rob thomas behind the scenes with the man behind some of the most iconic songs of the 1990s, his big push to new projects and passion.

♪ give me your heart ♪ but first, the "nightline" five. and number one is comin

good evening. and thank you for we begin here tonight with the breaking news. we have a new nba champ in town.

the frotoronto raptors, he he victory bythe golden state warr. we'll have much more on this breaking sports story first thing in the morning on gma. we turn now to a very different sports story regarding david ortiz recovering in a hospital in boston after he was shot outside a nightclub in the dominican republic. one more suspect police believe was involved in this ambush. it only takes a few seconds to see how close baseball legend david ortiz came to dying. >> what makes this so shocking is that david ortiz is used to walking these streets. >> reporter: a woulden h-be assn closing in, firing one shot into ortiz' back. >> he's used to being in these bars, being in these environments as if he's anybody

walking around the dominican republic. >> reporter: customers scatter as the former boston red sox slugger goes down, bleeding on the ground. >> and so when you see this happen, it's such a shock. he's sitting there with some others. someone walks up behind him, and bang! shoots him. >> reporter: the alleged gunman takes off, too, caught on multiple surveillance cameras. the suspects were first cornered by furious citizens. four days later, the accused shooter, ralphie cruz behind bars and late tonight word of three more arrests and one more suspect is on the run. and a man loved by millions left in intensive care. the outrage and heartbreak felt far and wide. my colleague, abc's tom llamas speaking with fans outside

fenw fenway stadium in boston. >> i was shocked. spg something i wouldn't expect. >> you have to understand who david ortiz is. he's not just a ball player, this man is larger than life. he's big guy, big smile. one of the most famous baseball players ever to come out of the dominican republic. >> reporter: but ortiz's path to greatness was a rocky one. they took a chance on the obscure first baseman who had just been released from the minnesota tw minnesota twins, and a come back for the books. >> into the corner, it is fair, and a three-run home run. >> reporter: he would lead the red sox to their first world series championship in 86 years. and the rest was, held le the sox to two more championships. the slugger hitting more than

500 career home runs. joining the ranks of baseball legends like babe ruth, mickey mantle and regge eie jackson. >> my boy, big papi. >> reporter: earning endorsements from dunkin' doughnuts and turbo tax, even going undercover as a lyft driver. >> david ortiz? >> reporter: surprising fans in boston. >> i'm david ortiz. >> reporter: he also became a recurring bit on snl portrayed by kenan thompson. big papi personified boston strong after the marathon bombings. >> this jersey that we wear today doesn't say red sox. it say boston. >> reporter: in a defining moment, he helped pull the city back together. >> this is our [ bleep ] city.

and nobody going to dictate our freedom. >> reporter: in 2016 after is 4 seasons with the red sox, ortiz retired from baseball. in a sayre mope, the city would rename a street after him. >> this city means a lot to me. >> reporter: a legend in boston, but in his home country a hero, known for helping more than 800 children get life-saving heart surgery. it's his humility that shines through. >> don't forget where you come from. i love going back to my hometown, and you go down there, and you say that you know me. >> you know, some ball players become rich and famous and don't go home anymore. that's not david ortiz. he takes pride in being from the dominican republic. he walks the streets. he knows the people, they know

him. >> reporter: that familiarity strikingly visible in the surveillance video where ortiz appears relaxed with no security guards and his back to the street. >> i will not sit anywhere with my back to the door. >> reporter: former nypd detective bo dietle. dietle. di. >> if it requecan happen to him can happen to them. >> reporter: assassins agreed to kill big papi for less than $8,000. >> maybe you can convince a group of at least a half-dozen people to pull off a hit on one of the highest profile people in the dominican republic for less than $8,000. >> reporter: the alleged plan involved these two hyundais parked in front of one noir, one man getting out of the cars, a motorcycle nearby. the motorcycle the alleged get away vehicle shown later with two men on it driving down the

street. salv salvador rushed orteiz to hospital. ) speaki [ speaking in foreign language ] >> reporter: police this morning displaying the handgun they say was used in the attempted hit job. >> so far the authorities in the dominican republic have arrested six people, including the suspected shooter. turns out he is also wanted in n passaic county, new jersey. >> reporter: this evening five of the six suspects appeared in court, but little is known about why the group targeted ortiz. >> the big mystery in all of this is the motive. we know that these men or at least one of the men was paid to shoot david ortiz. but what we don't know is the motive. why did they do this? >> we may never really know how

this attempted hit on david ortiz was coordinated. >> reporter: ortiz is not the first sports star to be attacked in recent years. paul pierce from the celtics survived being stabbed 11 times in 2000 and chante losean a and killed. >> now that you saw what happened with this baseball player, it will definitely increase. >> reporter: tonight ortiz is in recovery. his daughter posting this photo of her family to trinstagram an writing, i would like to formally thank everyone who has reached out so kindly to feed us, transport us and support us. and we are sending our best to big papi and his family. coming up we switch gea beh

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"nightline" continues with paula faris and rob thomas. >> we're going to start out this warmup by doing the cromatic scale. >> reporter: it's 5:47 p.m. in new jersey and rob thomas, the front man of matchbox twenty, is driving himselfo rehearsal. ggoo. >> reporter: and this is the

perfect time to crack his voice. >> you need to get your warmups. you start singing full-on with a band and you're trying to match that intensity. your voice is like what's happening to you. ♪ until there's nothing left >> it's the way you can do it so you don't lose your voice in the first couple nights of the tour. ♪ if i get tomorrow ♪ i will do it all >> both tomorrows. ♪ all my life i have been wandering ♪ ♪ by candlelight ♪ my time no >> reporter: one last day shot his album up. and now he's just kicking off his tour. ♪ >> reporter: you know his songs, like "bright lights."

♪ >> reporter: the man behind some of the most memorable hits of the '90s. including "3:00 a.m." but even those don't compare to his iconic "smooth". with carlos santana, which to this day, a crazy 20 years later remains billboard's number two song of all time, generating about a million on-demand streams every week. ♪ give me your heart ♪ make it real >> the relationship with "smooth", and carlos, too. i'm fine if i never hear it again. but i love playin' it. i was supposed to write the song and carlos heard my demo of me doing it, and he's like, i believe this guy. does he sing? and he's like, yeah. he just had a successful record. let's just get that guy. i was that guy. everywhere else in the world if

you don't know matchbox twenty, remember when sting came out with "desert rose". the guy was singing with him in i'm the guy. there's carlos and that guy from that song. >> reporter: that guy. >> i've been in greece and had people come up and say have you done anything since "smooth", we sold 15 million records before "smooth." >> reporter: he started writing for some of the biggest artists in the industry, winning song writing awards along the way. >> i wanted to display, because i think it's good energy to display things, but i didn't want to have them in my workspace. >> reporter: this is his home studio in new york. it's here where he laid down all the vocals for "chipped tooth smile". >> you have this. ♪

you can be like -- ♪ and you keep going until sometimes a vowel sound will catch you, or you get one word. >> reporter: mm-hm. >> when i wrote "push" years ago, it was always just this -- ♪ i'm a little bit rusty ♪ and i think my head is cavin' in ♪ >> reporter: out of the spotlight, he's been married to a model for 20 years. they run sidewalk angels, their passion project that helps no-kill animal shelters. their relationship has regularly inspired songs including "pieces" ♪ leave our pieces on the ground ♪ ♪ and she says, ooh, i can't take no more ♪ >> reporter: and "her diamond", about health struggles like auto

immunicipal and tick-borne illnesses. >> my life has been the road, and at a place where i want to be more than just a patient. i want to be more than just a victim. >> reporter: last time they were on tour, rob was leading a double life. >> he would literally be on the bus doing a therapy for me that required injections, getting in front of the stage, playing to thousands of people, doing meet and greets, get back on the bus, check on me, do more meds. he was doing all of this, and he did it and never complained. >> reporter: what does that say about him? >> he's everything for me. >> the life that we have, when it's bad, it's worth saving, and when it's good, it's better than anybody's. >> reporter: spend time with rob, and his sensitivity, outpouring of love and appreciation for those around him is palpable and returned.

>> i have the same management and worked with some of the same people for 13-20 years. when we're on the road, that's a tight family that we have. >> rob mob. i like it. that's a beautiful shot. >> thank you. >> hi. >> have a good time. >> woo! >> you guys check out my all-female run? >> i got a new wardrobe case. very exciting. >> i don't like to sequester myself. like before the show i like to hang out, see friends, take all that energy and put it back out. ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, yow, yow, yow. i love you guys so much. this is going to be so much fun. >> one, two,

♪ ♪ i love it all ♪ feelin' nothing ♪ man i love it >> reporter: he kicks off with "i love it." and plays fan favorites, including "little wonders". ♪ time falls away ♪ but peace for an hour >> reporter: and deanna high. ♪ give me your heart ♪ make it real or else forget about it ♪ >> hey!

hi. >> you look like you was having so much fun. >> so proud of you. >> reporter: the show's been over for hours, but rob's still lingering, savoring every interaction. >> i land on the bottom of the beat. >> reporter: rob thomas, an artist who loves the tour and whose tour loves him right back. >> once again, did not disappoint. >> we love you! >> we love you, rob! >> big thanks to paula faris for that report. coming up next here, a personal note. proof. ma1: proof of less joint pain and clearer skin. man 2: proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis... woman 2: ...with humira. woman 3: humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms.

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finally tonight, a personal note. this is my last night as the co-anchor of "nightline." i'm stepping down to spend more time on my passion product, startup kcompany called s10% happier. working on this show has been one of the most thrilling things

i've ever done. i've been able to travel all over the world and work with an amazing staff of producers. the good news is, i will continue to produce special reports for "nightline," and i will continue to anchor the weekend editions of gma. i'll see you on saturday morning in fact. while i won't be staying up late anymore i won't be going far. it has been a privilege to work on this amazing show. i want to thank the staff and all of you for watching. goodnight.