A social media influencer, Michael Duarte, lost his life in a shooting involving officers while on a trip with his family, authorities have verified.
Michael Duarte, recognized for his cooking videos as FoodWithBearHands, was reportedly shot and killed by police in Castroville, Texas, on Saturday (November 8).
The influencer, originally from California, was believed to be traveling to Texas when the unfortunate event occurred.
Law enforcement responded to a 911 call about a disturbance involving a man allegedly ‘with a knife acting erratically,’ according to a statement from the Medina County Sheriff’s Office relayed by TMZ.
An officer fired two shots from her service weapon, hitting Duarte fatally.
He was subsequently pronounced dead at a local hospital.
In the aftermath, Duarte’s family described him as a ‘loving husband, father, brother and great friend to many’ who died ‘in a horrible accident.’
“Michael’s death occurred just 3 short days after he and his wife celebrated their 9 year wedding anniversary,” stated a GoFundMe campaign.
Duarte leaves behind 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 mentioned.
At the time of his death, Duarte had amassed a significant online following of about two million across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, where he shared his cooking recipes and creations.
“My purpose is to share to the world food to people who need it the most,” his Instagram bio stated.
Shortly before his passing, the content creator shared his ‘story’ in a series of images on Instagram, discussing his upbringing in Calipatria without a ‘father figure’ until his uncle, Arthur Barros, ‘became a mentor to me.’
“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 that’s where I first learned how to cook,” he wrote.
He described himself as a ‘total momma’s boy,’ and paid tribute to his late mother, who passed away from breast cancer when he was 21.
In his early adult years, Duarte worked in various restaurants around San Diego and later entered rehab due to a ‘mental health crisis’ during the Covid-19 pandemic, as revealed in his post.
Upon returning to the culinary field, he began ‘posting food videos’ during his free time, starting with a video featuring 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 shared in his post.