Messages of support have poured out from musicians and industry executives as Cuban Reggeaton singer El Taiger fights for his life after being found with a gunshot wound to his forehead in Miami, in circumstances police are still trying to parse.
It was around 6:45 a.m. Thursday when Miami police said they found the 37-year-old artist, born José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, unresponsive in the back of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street.
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He was hospitalized at nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Carlos Alfaro, a representative for the singer, said a surgeon told him that Taiger suffered significant damage to his brain and remained connected to machines.
Though police have not said definitively if the wound was self-inflicted or fired at Taiger, Miami police spokesperson Mike Vega told NBC6 on Thursday night that there was no evidence that the shot was fired inside the car.
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"Our officers are investigating, because we think this didn't happen in the city of Miami. 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 said in Spanish.
El Taiger was found in the third row of the SUV, and first responders had to open the trunk to get him out. Authorities also noted that video showed two gallons of gasoline there.
There are currently no suspects in custody, though police did interview a person of interest in the investigation.
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Miami Police spoke at a news conference Friday.
Here are the friends and colleagues wishing the Reggeaton artist well.
Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martínez, of Gente de Zona
“This is a suckerpunch not [just] to me, to all the Cubans that listen to his music, to all his friends and to the whole genre,” Alexander Delgado, half of the Latin Grammy-winning duo Gente de Zona said outside JMH. “When there’s a situation like this, all we need is support. That’s it. I’ve seen lots of people on social media without knowledge of what’s happening speculating. No one knows anything… Let’s pray so that they’re able to save his life.”
“I’m here, waiting for him, and he knows it,” Randy Malcom Martínez, also of Gente de Zona, said outside the hospital. “We’ve had a relationship for years. We’re not talking about a new friendship… We have to wait and see what’s going to happen.”
Jacob Forever
"I’m at a loss, it leaves me without words. I feel like I can’t breathe, but I have faith in God," the Cuban artist said outside JMH. “They won’t tell us exactly what state he’s in, because there isn’t an authorized family member here, so we’re in even more uncertainty.”
El Micha
The Cuban reggaeton artist kept his comments brief outside the hospital.
“We’re here to support the brother, like always,” he said.
DJ Conds
“I’m DJ Conds, the main producer for El Taiger. We’re here at the hospital, to see what happened. We’re all suffering,” he said. “It’s a blow–we’re still processing what’s happening, and we don’t have much information… but we’re all devastated.”
Nelson Martinez, friend and former manager
Nelson Martinez's voice wavered as he discussed the shooting outside JMH.
"He had a lot of gold. He had over $100,000 worth of jewelry on," he said. "Any other thing you hear on the internet is false. That he shot himself--it didn't happen like that. Police are investigating right now. We're letting them do their work."
"Everybody's hurting," Martinez continued. "He has a lot of friends. He's a great guy."
Greg Chonillo, attorney
An attorney for El Taiger spoke to Telemundo 51 about the circumstances of the shooting.
He said there was "certain evidence that could suggest that there was another person with him."
Sashira, friend
"He's someone who's always there for everyone, a person who really doesn't get into trouble. All of this is just social media stuff that everyone does, but yes, we are in shock. We are in shock because he's not a person who deserves any of this, at all," she said in Spanish. "The only thing we ask of people is to pray, pray a lot, so that he can survive this."
Kevin Eiroa, A&R at OneRPM
Kevin Eiroa, A&R at OneRPM, the record label that El Taiger is signed to, offered his well wishes and praised the artist's success, calling him "without a doubt, one of the major artists of Cuban urban music," whose reach is global.
"He is an incredible artist and human being who is loved not only by his fans but by artists and anyone that gets to know him. He's someone with an incredible heart, and has a huge love and talent for music," Eiroa said. "We're obviously saddened by the news and sending our best wishes and prayers to him and his family for his soon recovery."
