Police confirm influencer Michael Duarte was shot by officer while traveling with family as new details released
Topics: Texas, Mental Health, US News, Social Media, Police
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Featured Image Credit: Instagram/foodwithbearhands
Topics: Texas, Mental Health, US News, Social Media, Police
Social media star Michael Duarte was shot and killed by officers while traveling with his family, police have confirmed.
Michael Duarte, known more fondly for his cooking content under the handle FoodWithBearHands, was reportedly fatally wounded by cops while in Castroville, Texas, on Saturday (November 8).
It is believed the California-based influencer was traveling to the state when the incident unfolded.
Cops reportedly responded to a 911 call over a disturbance involving a man 'with a knife acting erratically', according to a spokesperson for the Medina County Sheriff's Office, as per TMZ.
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The force confirmed a deputy then discharged two rounds from her duty weapon which fatally struck Duarte.
He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Following the incident, Duarte's family said their 'loving husband, father, brother and great friend to many' died 'in a horrible accident'.
"Michael's death occurred just 3 short days after he and his wife celebrated their 9 year wedding anniversary," a GoFundMe reads.
The star is survived by his wife, Jessica, and their six-year-old daughter, Oakley.
"This heartbreak came without warning, leaving Jessica to incur the expense of bringing him back home to California and covering funeral expenses," the fundraiser added.
The news comes as Duarte boasted a hefty social media following of around two million across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, for his cooking recipes and creations.
"My purpose is to share to the world food to people who need it the most," his Instagram bio read.
Just weeks before his death, the content creator told his 'story' in a carousel of images on the platform, revealing he grew up in Calipatria without a 'father figure' until his uncle, Arthur Barros, 'became a mentor to me'.
He penned: "He owned a small Mexican restaurant in Brawley, CA, called Nana Dora's and that's where I got my first job when I was 14.
"I worked every weekend and there's where I first learned how to cook."
Describing himself as a 'total momma's boy', Duarte paid homage to his late mom, who died from breast cancer when he was 21.
As a young adult, he worked in restaurants across San Diego before checking into rehab following a 'mental health crisis' amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he revealed in the post.
When he returned to the industry, he said he started 'posting food videos' on his days off, the first one with his daughter.
"That's when I realized how happy creating content made me. Over time, I began to see it wasn't just a hobby - it could be a business, something bigger than myself," Duarte's post concluded.
UNILAD has contacted the Medina County Sheriff's Office for comment.