By james art MIAMI – After weeks of speculation about who killed 37-year-old Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, better known as the cubathon artist El TigerDamian Valdez-Galoso, 49, is now in custody.
On October 3, El Tiger was found shot and now police are releasing new details about the case.
“This incident occurred entirely within the jurisdiction of Hialeah,” said Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales.
El Taiger was found 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 say El Tiger was shot described Galoso as a seemingly normal neighbor.
“It’s surprising because the way he’s been acting the few times I’ve seen him — he’s always said, ‘Hey, how are you, Luis,'” said Luis, Gallozzo’s neighbor.
Lewis remembers the moment police raided the home where Galoso lived earlier this month.
“I was horrified! I was inside and my friend told me she saw so many police cars. When I got outside there was a SWAT team. They said, ‘Hey, come out,'” he recounted.
Galoso was not located until Tuesday after a multi-agency effort involving Miami police, US marshals and the NYPD led to his arrest in New York. He is charged with failure to register as a sex offender and as a fugitive from justice.
The prosecutor’s office is currently preparing charges related to El Tiger’s murder. Police believe Gallozzo acted alone.
Anna McAllister
