Gente de Zona, others show support for El Taiger after shooting – NBC 6 South Florida

As Cuban reggeaton singer El Taiger fights for his life after being found with a gunshot wound to the forehead in Miami, messages of support are being heard from musicians and industry executives.

It was around 6:45 a.m. Thursday when Miami police said they found the 37-year-old artist, born José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, lifeless in the back seat of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street .

He was hospitalized at nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Carlos Alfaro, a representative for the singer, said a surgeon told him that Taiger had suffered significant damage to his brain and remained hooked up to machines.

Although police couldn’t say definitively whether the wound was self-inflicted or Taiger was shot, Miami police spokesman Mike Vega told our sister station Telemundo 51 that evidence suggests the shooting did not occur in the car, as there were no traces of blood.

“Our officers are investigating because we believe this did not happen in the city of Miami. We are sure it didn’t happen in the corner where the vehicle was found. This happened in another place; someone brought him here, “I left him and walked,” Vega said in Spanish.

El Taiger was found in the third row of the SUV, which is part of the car’s trunk. Authorities also noted that video showed two gallons of gasoline.

There are currently no suspects in custody, but police have interviewed a person of interest in the investigation.

Miami police are expected to provide an update at 11 a.m. Friday, which you can watch live above.

Here are the friends and colleagues wishing the reggeaton artist all the best.

Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martínez from Gente de Zona

“It’s not a jerk [just] For me, for all Cubans who listen to his music, for all his friends and for the entire genre,” Alexander Delgado, half of the Latin Grammy-winning duo Gente de Zona, told JMH. “In a situation like this, we just need support. That’s it. I’ve seen a lot of people on social media speculating without knowing what’s happening. Nobody knows anything… Let us pray so that they can save his life.”

“I’m here waiting for him and he knows it,” said Randy Malcom Martínez, also from Gente de Zona, outside the hospital. “We have been in a relationship for years. We’re not talking about a new friendship here… We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Jacob forever

“I’m at a loss, I’m at a loss for words. I feel like I can’t breathe, but I have faith in God,” the Cuban artist told JMH. “They won’t tell us exactly what condition he is in because there is no authorized family member here, so we are in even greater uncertainty.”

El Micah

The Cuban reggaeton artist kept his comments short outside the hospital.

“As always, we are here to support the brother,” he said.

DJ Conds

“I am DJ Conds, the main producer of El Taiger. We’re here at the hospital to see what happened. We are all suffering,” he said. “It’s a blow – we’re still processing what’s happening and we don’t have a lot of information… but we’re all devastated.”

Nelson Martinez, friend and former manager

Nelson Martinez’s voice shook as he spoke about the shooting outside JMH.

“He had a lot of gold. He was wearing over $100,000 worth of jewelry,” he said. “Everything else you hear on the internet is wrong. The fact that he shot himself – that’s not what happened. The police are currently investigating. We let them do their work.”

“Everyone is hurt,” 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 were “certain indications that could indicate that another person was with him.”

Sashira, friend

“He is someone who is always there for everyone, a person who really doesn’t get into trouble. This is all just social media stuff that everyone does, but yeah, we’re in shock. We’re in shock because he’s not a human being who would do this.” “I didn’t deserve any of this,” 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 to which El Taiger is signed, sent his congratulations and praised the artist’s success. He called him “without a doubt one of the most important artists in Cuban urban music,” whose reach is global.

“He is an incredible artist and person who is loved not only by his fans, but also by artists and everyone who gets to know him. He is someone with an incredible heart and has a great love and talent for music,” Eiroa said. “We are obviously saddened by the news and send him and his family our best wishes and prayers for his speedy recovery.”