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Reggaeton star El Taiger fighting for life after being shot in the head in Miami

MIAMI (WSVN) - A man who, according to friends, is a popular Cuban performer, is fighting for his life after he was shot in Miami. https://www.instagram.com/p/C_6ddyqyKtJ/?hl=en https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/10/04/popular-musician-el-taiger-in-critical-condition-after-being-found-in-suv-with-gunshot-to-head/ https://wsvn.com/entertainment/man-critical-after-shooting-near-jmh-is-cuban-reggaeton-artist-el-taiger-friends-say/ City of Miami Police units responded to reports of a shooting near Jackson Memorial Hospital, in the area of Ninth Avenue and Northwest 17th Street, at around 7 a.m. on Thursday. According to investigators, officers arrived to find the man in the back seat of a black Mercedes-Benz SUV, unconscious and suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. It remains unclear whether the wound was self-inflicted or whether the person was shot at. The man was rushed to JMHâs Ryder Trauma Center where, officials said, he is listed in critical condition. Friends of the victim who gathered outside JMH told 7News the man is popular reggaeton artist El Taiger from Cuba. El Taiger, born José Manuel Carbajal ZaldÃvar, has over a million followers on Instagram. However, as of late Thursday night, Miami Police have not confirmed the manâs identity. 7News cameras captured more than a dozen friends of the victim outside the hospital. Among them were other singers, like members of the Cuban group Gente de Zona. âThis is a very strong hit, not only for me, but for all of the Cubans who follow [El Taigerâs] music,â said singer Alexander Delgado through a translator. âHeâs gotta come back. Iâm here waiting for him,â said Randy Martinez. El Taigerâs former manager, Nelson Martinez, does not believe the head wound was self-inflicted. âThis guy loved life. Heâs not gonna kill himself. He had a lot of gold, he had over $100,000 worth of jewelry on him,â he said. âBad neighborhood, apparently they found him close to here.â El Taiger lives in Miami, where he performs, and he would often go back to Cuba for shows. Hours later, the crowd outside JMH continued to grow, as his friends and fans pray he makes a strong recovery. âThey have him on life support, and apparently the bullet did a lot of damage to one side of his brain, but the other side is intact,â said Nelson Martinez. âGood guy, heâs a great guy. He was friends with everybody.â Officers temporarily shut down Northwest 17th Street between Eighth and 10th Avenues while they conducted their investigation. The roadway has since reopened to traffic. El Taigerâs friends told 7News theyâre trying to get a humanitarian visa for his cousin to come to South Florida and give him one more reason to fight through this.

The 37-year-old Cuban singer, real name José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, was discovered in the back of the SUV with a gunshot wound to his forehead in the city’s Allapattah neighborhood early Thursday, Telemundo 51 reported.

The Latin music star was rushed to nearby Jackson Memorial Health hospital, where he remains in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery, his representative Carlos Alfaro told the outlet.

El Taiger, who has more than 1 million followers on Instagram, was out on bail after a July bust on armed robbery, assault and cocaine possession charges.

Cops believe he may have been shot somewhere else and then dumped close to the hospital.

“We are certain it did not happen on that corner where the car was found. This happened somewhere else, someone drove it there, left it and left on foot,” Miami police spokesman Mike Vega told Telemundo.

Two gallons of fuel were also found inside the trunk of the vehicle when the gravely wounded star was found, according to authorities.

“We know there was a lot of blood inside the SUV. He was in the back, and officers had to open the back of the SUV to get him out,” the police spokesman said.

The popular performer was arrested in Miami for drug possession and armed robbery in March last year.

He was nabbed again in July on armed robbery, assault and cocaine possession charges — and was out on bail in that case when he was found critically injured this week.

“Everything was going very well,” his lawyer, Greg Chonillo, told Telemundo.

“He was out on bail. We were waiting for the court date and some evidence for the lesser case, when we received this information.”

Police said they have no suspects or witnesses.

Police said they have no suspects or witnesses.

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