News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 8, 2024: The man accused of fatally shooting Cuban reggaeton star José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, known as El Taiger, was extradited to Miami-Dade County on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, following his arrest in New York.
Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, was taken into custody in Brooklyn on Oct. 29th by federal marshals for failing to register as a sex offender, according to Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales. Valdez-Galloso is a convicted felon, previously found guilty of sexual battery on a minor in 2013.
Valdez-Galloso now faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is currently held at Turner Guilford Correctional Center with a $12,500 bond for tampering with evidence and failing to register as a sex offender, while bonds for additional charges are pending.
Zaldívar, 37, a popular reggaeton artist with over a million followers on Instagram and 385 million YouTube views, was discovered shot in a car in Miami on Oct. 3. Following a month-long investigation, Miami detectives identified Valdez-Galloso as the alleged shooter, Morales reported.
According to an arrest report, at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 3, Zaldívar was at a house in Hialeah when Valdez-Galloso opened the door and shot him in the head. Valdez-Galloso allegedly dragged Zaldívar into a 2023 Mercedes-Benz, cleaned up the scene, and changed clothes before driving him to Northwest Ninth Avenue and Northwest 17th Street. First responders arrived about 45 minutes later and transported Zaldívar to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he passed away on Oct. 10.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death a homicide. Valdez-Galloso fled to New York, where he was apprehended and reportedly gave officials a statement regarding the incident. It remains unclear how he and Zaldívar were connected.
