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California-based influencer Michael Duarte died on Nov. 8<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
The creator was known by a combined following of over 2 million on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube for his cooking videos<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Since the announcement of his death, police have shared new details<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Police have shared new details about the death of California-based influencer Michael Duarte<\/a>, who died on Nov. 8.<\/p>\n The creator \u2014\u00a0known online under the handle \u201cFoodWithBearHands\u201d \u2014\u00a0was shot by police and was later pronounced dead at the hospital, a spokesperson for the Medina County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ<\/a>.<\/p>\n Deputies responded to a 911 call in Castroville, Texas, for a disturbance involving a “male subject with a knife acting erratically,” and a deputy discharged two rounds from her duty weapon, striking Duarte, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n PEOPLE has reached out to Medina County Sheriff’s Office for comment.<\/p>\n Duarte maintained a combined following of over 2 million on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, where he shared cooking videos and recipes of his grilling and BBQ creations. His Instagram bio read \u201cmy purpose is to share to the world food to people who need it the most.\u201d<\/p>\n In a GoFundMe<\/a> established to financially support his family, it was previously reported that Duarte died in a \u201chorrible accident\u201d while traveling in Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask that you lift Michael’s family up in prayer during this extremely difficult time,\u201d the fundraiser\u2019s description read. \u201cThis heartbreak came without warning, leaving Jessica to incur the expense of bringing him back home to California and covering funeral expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n Duarte was raised in Calipatria, Calif., a small city near the U.S.-Mexico border. At 14, he started working at a small Mexican restaurant owned by his uncle \u2014 whom he called a \u201cmentor\u201d in an Instagram post<\/a> \u2014 where he first learned to cook.<\/p>\n As a young adult, Duarte worked in several restaurants in the San Diego area and went to rehab around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic after experiencing a \u201cmental health crisis,\u201d he shared on Instagram. Out of rehab, he started a new restaurant job and began to post videos online, growing a following for his cooking content.<\/p>\n