Police release new details on El Taiger's shooting
MIAMI - After weeks of speculation over who killed 37-year-old Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, better known as cubatone artist El Taiger, 49-year-old Damian Valdez-Galloso is now in custody.
On October 3, El Taiger was found shot, and police are now releasing new details about the case.
"This incident took place entirely in Hialeah jurisdiction," said Miami Police Department Chief Manuel Morales.
El Taiger was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head in the back of an SUV in Allapattah on NW 17th Street, near Jackson Memorial Hospital. However, police say he was shot at a home on SE 5th Street in Hialeah, where Galloso was renting.
A man who lives in a trailer on the property behind the Hialeah home where police allege El Taiger was shot described Galloso as a seemingly normal neighbor.
"That is surprising because the way he acted the few times I saw him-he always said, 'Hey, how you doing, Luis,'" said Luis, a neighbor of Galloso.
Luis recalls the moment police raided the home where Galloso lived earlier this month.
"I was terrified! I was inside, and my girlfriend told me she saw so many police cars. When I went outside, there was a SWAT team. They said, 'Hey, come outside,'" he recounted.
Galloso wasn't found until Tuesday, after a multi-agency effort involving Miami Police, U.S. Marshals, and NYPD led to his arrest in New York City. He has been charged with failure to register as a sex offender and as a fugitive from justice.
The DA's office is currently preparing charges related to El Taiger's murder. Police believe Galloso acted alone.
