The Miami music scene was shaken by the shooting of Cuban reggaeton singer El Taiger, also known as José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, who remains in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. In the early hours of last Thursday, El Taiger was found with a gunshot wound to his head in the back of a Mercedes SUV, located near Northwest 17th Street and 10th Avenue in Miami. As of yesterday, Miami Police have been urgently seeking to question 49-year-old Damien Valdez-Galloso in connection with the incident, emphasizing his potential possession of valuable information for the investigation.
According to a report by NBC Miami, the investigation, led by Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales, excludes suicide as a motive, despite some reports to the contrary. A disconcerting find in the vehicle's trunk, two gallons of gasoline, was disclosed by authorities, adding complexity to the circumstances of the shooting. No traces of blood were found inside the car, which, as stated by Miami Police Spokesperson Mike Vega in a statement obtained by Telemundo 51 and relayed by Hoodline, indicates the shooting did not occur inside the vehicle.
With over 1 million followers on Instagram, El Taiger is a prominent figure in the Latin music sphere, and the distress caused by his injury has reverberated through his fanbase and colleagues. A friend of El Taiger expressed their shock to NBC6 Miami from Hoodline, pleading for prayers and affirming that "he is not a person who deserves any of this at all."
Miami police are appealing to the public for aid in locating Valdez-Galloso, as anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Miami police department. The ongoing criminal investigation continues full force, with Morales affirming to Local10 that detectives are meticulously following up on all leads. Meanwhile, the motive behind the tragic incident remains as obscure as the facts surrounding the shooting itself.
