Michael Duarte — the California food content creator known online as “FoodWithBearHands” — was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Castroville, Texas, on November 8, after police responded to a call about a man acting erratically with a knife.
According to the Medina County Sheriff’s Office, deputies showed up around 11:30 a.m. after reports came in about a man “with a knife acting erratically” near the 1500 block of Houston Street. Officials say Duarte was threatening to kill everyone and had tried to assault Fire and EMS personnel who were already on scene.
A female deputy ordered him multiple times to get on the ground. When he reportedly charged toward her shouting, “I’m going to kill you,” she fired two shots, hitting Duarte. Paramedics immediately provided aid, and he was taken to University Hospital in San Antonio, where he was later pronounced dead. He was 39 years old.
The Texas Rangers are now leading the investigation into the shooting, which is standard procedure for officer-involved incidents in the state.
Duarte had built a massive online following through his FoodWithBearHands brand, pulling in over 2.1 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. His videos were known for their hands-on approach to cooking — literally. He’d break down everything from alligators and iguanas to frog legs and smoked duck, often turning backyard barbecue into a wild, creative, and sometimes shocking art form.
The Calipatria, California native started cooking when he was just 14 at his uncle’s Mexican restaurant. He later worked in a few San Diego spots before finding his voice online during the pandemic, when he began posting cooking videos as part of his recovery from a past mental health struggle. What began as a form of therapy turned into a full-blown digital empire — one that celebrated raw creativity and a deep love of food.
Duarte leaves behind his wife, Jessica, and their 6-year-old daughter, Oakley. The couple had just marked their ninth wedding anniversary three days before the shooting. He had been in Texas for the Texas Open Fire Meat Up barbecue festival in Hondo.
In a statement, his talent agency, Alooma Media Group, remembered him as “a true & loyal partner, a trusted collaborator, and above all, a remarkable person.” They added that his “passion, professionalism, and creativity”made him stand out — not just as a creator, but as a husband and father.
A GoFundMe set up to help his family with funeral costs and bring his body home to California has raised over $65,000 as of mid-November. The campaign initially described his passing as “a horrible accident,” before details about the police shooting became public.
