Food influencer Michael Duarte was shot dead by police in Texas, report says

Theresa Braine, New York Daily News on Nov 12, 2025

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Michael Duarte, the food influencer and barbecue aficionado known as “Food with Bear Hands,” was shot dead by Texas officers after lunging at one of them with a knife, according to a new report.

Friends and family revealed Monday that the beloved foodie had died in a “horrible incident” over the weekend while traveling in Texas, without releasing details. On Wednesday, the Medina County Sheriff’s Office shed some light on what had happened.

Deputies were responding to a 911 call Saturday in Castroville, Texas, about a “male subject with a knife acting erratically” and causing a disturbance, a spokesperson for the Medina County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ. He menaced the arriving deputies, the spokesperson said, and then lunged at one with the knife.

“After multiple verbal commands were given for Duarte to get on the ground by the deputy, Duarte charged toward the deputy while yelling, ‘I’m going to kill you,’” the sheriff’s office told TMZ.

The deputy shot two rounds at him, police said, then rendered medical aid and rushed him to a San Antonio hospital. There, he was pronounced dead, TMZ reported.

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