El Taiger, a Cuban reggaeton star, remained in “very critical condition” at a Miami hospital on Friday, a day after being found shot inside an SUV, according to the city’s police chief. Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales talked with reporters Friday morning about the ongoing investigation into the singer’s shooting.
The musician, José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital on Thursday with a gunshot wound and underwent surgery. Carlos Alfaro, the singer’s representative, stated that a surgeon informed him that El Taiger had suffered significant brain damage and was still hooked to machines. “He is still in very critical condition,” Morales said Friday.
The 37-year-old was discovered lifeless in the back of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street. Though authorities have not confirmed if the wound was self-inflicted or fired at El Taiger, Miami authorities spokesperson Mike Vega said Thursday that evidence indicates the shooting did not take place inside the automobile. Morales stated that authorities were still attempting to ascertain how he was shot. “We’re not ruling any kind of situation out at this time,” Morales told the crowd.
Morales stated that police know who owns the SUV but are not ready to divulge that information. “At this time, we are not giving more information because we don’t want to risk the investigation’s integrity,” Morales told the press. “If we determine that the case was criminal in character, then we don’t want to risk our ability to prosecute those who are accountable, bring them to justice, and bring any type of justice to the family and the victim.” There were no suspects in arrest, but police did speak with a person of interest in the inquiry, officials said Thursday. Morales explained that the probe was still in its early stages. “We’re confident that we’ll be ready to get to the bottom of this and solve this tragic incident that has shaken our local South Florida community,” he said.
