Photo: Johnny Louis/Getty
Cuban reggaeton artist El Taiger, whose real name is Jose Manuel Carbajal Zadivar, is in critical condition after being shot in the head in Miami on Thursday, October 3. The Miami Police Department (MPD) held a press conference the following day, revealing more details about the tragic incident.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 7 a.m. and arrived at NW 17th St. and 10th Ave, where they found El Taiger inside a black Mercedes SUV. The artist was discovered in the third row of the vehicle, having been shot in the head. First responders removed him from the car by pulling him out of the trunk and rushed him to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. El Taiger underwent emergency surgery and was placed on life support, according to CBS News Miami.
As of Friday morning, El Taiger remains in critical condition. His representative, Carlos Alfaro, shared with NBC 6 that the singer sustained “significant damage to his brain,” per a surgeon’s assessment.
MPD spokesperson Mike Vega addressed media outlets on Thursday, explaining that it has not been confirmed whether the wound was self-inflicted. “There was no evidence that the shot was fired inside the car,” Vega stated, further explaining that the location where the SUV was found is not believed to be the site of the shooting. “We’re sure that it didn’t happen in that corner where the vehicle was found. This happened in another place; someone brought him here, left him, and left on foot,” Vega added in Spanish, per NBC 6.
El Taiger’s manager, Macel Reinosa, expressed doubts about the possibility of suicide. Reinosa told CBS News Miami that a person of interest, someone known to El Taiger, had called 9-1-1 after the shooting. “Nobody in the team believes that he committed suicide, based on what they are saying on the bullet. It was in the front of his head, so I would really doubt someone would shoot himself and then get on the back of the trunk by himself,” Reynosa said. report from The NY Post.
While authorities have identified the owner of the SUV in which El Taiger was found, they have not disclosed this information to the public. Investigators are still working to gather evidence and clarify the circumstances of the incident. Although a person of interest has been interviewed, no suspects are in custody at this time.
“If we determine that the case is criminal in nature, then we don’t want to risk our ability to prosecute those who are responsible, bring them to justice, and bring any type of justice to the family or the victim,” Morales, an MPD official, told NBC 6. The MPD urges anyone with information related to the case to contact (305) 579-6111 or (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
