The shocking cause of death for the California-based food influencer Michael Duarte has been revealed more than a month after he was shot and killed by a Texas sheriff’s deputy.
Duarte — known online as FoodWithBearHands — died from a gunshot wound, and his death was officially ruled a homicide, a spokesperson for the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office told People on Wednesday.
The full autopsy report remains pending, the spokesperson said.
The 39-year-old was killed on the afternoon of Nov. 8 after first responders rushed to a 911 call about a “male subject with a knife acting erratically” in Castroville — a city located about 25 miles outside San Antonio.
When deputies arrived, Duarte had already been making threats to “kill everyone,” and the situation rapidly escalated from there.
“He was attempting to assault Fire and EMS personnel who had responded to the scene as the deputy pulled up,” officials added.
“Duarte charged toward the deputy while yelling, ‘I’m going to kill you.’ The deputy discharged two rounds from her duty weapon,” police said.
The food influencer was hit twice while charging the officer and was treated at the scene.
He was then rushed to a San Antonio hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Exactly what led to Duarte’s alleged violent outburst before the shooting remains unclear.
Duarte had a following of 2 million across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, and was known for showcasing his creative, eclectic barbecue recipes and methods.
The social media star had opened up about past hardships in an Instagram post on Oct. 25, two weeks before he was killed.
“I hit a breaking point and had a mental health crisis that led me to rehab,” he wrote in the heartfelt post, describing troubles he endured in the thick of the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Looking back, I know that breakdown came from feeling like I had failed at life,” he added. “The shutdown hit me hard and took a big toll on my confidence.”
Duarte had also just celebrated his 9-year anniversary with his wife in early November.
His wife Jessica has said the “outpouring of love” from his followers has been crucial to getting their family through his death.
“I’m still struggling with the fact that he is no longer with us but l’m starting to see his purpose was SO much bigger,” she wrote on social media nearly a week after he was killed.
“I’m starting to see God work in mysterious ways that I’ve never experienced before and hoping that will bring our family some peace.”
Duarte and his wife share a 6-year-old daughter, Oakley.
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