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Popular Cuban reggaeton artist El Taiger is said to be in “very critical condition” after he was shot in the head.
The 37-year-old Latin American singer, whose real name is Jose Manuel Carbajal, was found Thursday (October 3) morning in a black Mercedes SUV with a gunshot wound, Miami Police Department officials said in a press conference on Friday.
After first responders rendered first aid, he was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he underwent surgery and remains in “very critical condition,” according to Miami Chief of Police Manuel Morales. An investigation is ongoing.
“We’re confident that we’ll get to the bottom of this and solve this incident,” Morales said. “It is a tragic incident that has shaken our local South Florida community.”
Carbajal suffered significant brain damage and was put on life support, according to CBS News Miami.
Miami police spokesperson Mike Vega told NBC 6 that it is not yet known whether the gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Officials do not believe that the incident happened in the same place Carbajal was found.
“Our officers are investigating because we think this didn’t happen in the city of Miami,” Vega said. “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.”
Carbajal’s manager, Marcel Reinosa, told CBS News Miami that “nobody on 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,” Reinosa said.
Fellow musicians rallied outside the hospital and shared messages of support following the shooting.
“This is a hard blow 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 in Spanish outside the hospital.
“When there’s a situation like this, all we need is support. That’s it,” he said. “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 at a loss, it leaves me without words. I feel like I can’t breathe, but I have faith in God,” Cuban artist Jacob Forever added. “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.”
Carbajal is well-known within the Latin music community for his contributions to reggaeton, a music genre characterized by its blend of Caribbean rhythms and urban beats. Some of his most listened-to tracks include “La Historia” and “La Guariconfianza.”
He released his latest studio album, 10 Éxitos Duros, in July.
