‘Only a miracle can bring him back.’ Cuban Reggaeton star El Taiger shot in Miami
A Cuban Reggaeton artist known as El Taiger is in critical condition after being found shot in the head in Miami, authorities say.
Miami Police say they responded to the area of Northwest Ninth Avenue and 17th Street Thursday morning and found an unconscious man inside a car. First responders rushed him to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center where he underwent surgery.
On Friday, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales identified him as 37-year-old Jose Manuel Carbajal Zadivar, his full name per his Instagram account.
Morales said the incident is still under investigation and that no possibilities are off the table, including whether it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound or a homicide attempt.
“We’re confident that we’ll be able to get to the bottom of this and solve this.....it’s a tragic incident that has shaken our local South Florida community,” Morales told reporters on Friday.
But that was little comfort to friends of the beloved musician.
“He has been our friend for a long time, we feel sorry for what happened and we hope that he recovers soon and he can go back to his music and talent,“ said Yanely Paredes in Spanish. “He is in critical condition, he is breathing through machines and only a miracle can bring him back. We do not think it was a suicide attempt; we think someone else did this, but we don’t know anything else.“
Paredes told reporters that El Taiger has no family in Miami and his daughter and sick grandmother live in Cuba.
“He has a lot of friends...he always had people around, people that cared about him, it’s very sad and difficult to go through this,” said friend Yuri Castro in Spanish.
Morales urged the public to call Miami Police at 305-579-6111 or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS with any information that might help the investigation.
The singer has amassed over a million Instagram followers and over 385 million YouTube views.
This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 8:18 AM.