Miami-Dade County

Shocking new video shows fatal shooting of Cuban singer El Taiger in Hialeah

Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, is charged with second-degree murder, attempted tampering with physical evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in last month's fatal shooting of El Taiger

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Shocking new surveillance footage shows the fatal shooting of Cuban reggaeton singer El Taiger outside the home of the Hialeah man who's accused in his murder.

The video, obtained by NBC6 on Thursday, shows the singer arriving at the home that police say belongs to suspect Damian Valdez-Galloso back on Oct. 3.

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El Taiger is seen standing at the door before he's suddenly shot in the head and falls to the ground, then gets dragged across the home's yard.

Later in the video, the man who dragged his body is seen trying to clean up the front of the home.

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Police say the man in the video is Valdez-Galloso, 49, who is charged with second-degree murder, attempted tampering with physical evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon the fatal shooting of El Taiger.

He's also charged with failure to register as a sex offender in a separate case.

Booking photo of Damian Valdez-Galloso
Miami-Dade Corrections
Booking photo of Damian Valdez-Galloso

Valdez-Galloso was formally arraigned on the charges Thursday morning. He didn't appear in court for the arraignment, but his attorney entered a not guilty plea for him. Prosecutors said they still may pursue a first-degree murder charge in the case.

At a court appearance earlier this month, he was ordered held without bond.

Valdez-Galloso was taken into custody in New York City last month by Miami Police working with the NYPD and the U.S. Marshals Service. He was extradited and booked into a Miami-Dade jail earlier this month.

The 37-year-old El Taiger, whose real name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, had been found unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound in the back of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street in Miami later on Oct. 3.

He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition and died from his injuries days later, on Oct. 10.

Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, is charged with second-degree murder, attempted tampering with physical evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in last month's fatal shooting of El Taiger.

According to an arrest affidavit, the singer went to Valdez-Galloso's home early that morning. Valdez-Galloso opened the door and shot El Taiger in the head, police said.

Valdez-Galloso then grabbed El Taiger by his ankles, dragged him toward the singer's SUV, and placed him inside, the affidavit said. Valdez-Galloso then allegedly cleaned up the scene, changed his clothes, and then left in the singer's vehicle.

Records show Valdez-Galloso has a criminal past and is a registered sex offender after having sex with a minor. He also served prison time for false imprisonment and was arrested three years ago for grand theft in Broward.

El Taiger's manager attended Thursday's arraignment and said she's hoping for the charges against Valdez-Galloso to be upgraded.

"We are fighting. We have a petition that we are having the people that know him sign so we are praying we can get 100,000 or more so that we can apply more pressure to the district attorney's office," Teresa Padron said.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 19.

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