Food Influencer Michael Duarte's Death Ruled a Homicide After Police Altercation

The medical determination of Michael Duarte’s cause and manner of death has been made public.The online food personality — widely recognized by his social media name @FoodWithBearHands — passed away from a gunshot wound on November 8, following an altercation with law enforcement in Texas; his death was officially classified as a homicide, as exclusively verified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office to Us Weekly on Tuesday, December 9.Further information is being withheld because the investigation and case documentation are still active.Duarte’s family announced last month that he had died in a “horrible incident” in Texas, only three days after celebrating his ninth wedding anniversary with his spouse, Jessica.A representative for the Medina County Sheriff’s Office informed TMZ on Wednesday, November 12, that the social media personality was shot by police officers in Castroville after they responded to an emergency 911 call. The sheriff’s office stated to the outlet that authorities received a report concerning a “male subject with a knife acting erratically,” who was later identified as Duarte.He was reportedly visiting the area for the Texas Open Fire Meat Up, a barbecue festival that was scheduled for the day he died.Duarte was staying in a tent outside the Castroville residence and had permission from the group renting the property, a female neighbor exclusively told Us at the time.She then provided insight into the food influencer’s final moments.The neighbor claimed that the property, which spans three acres, featured a main surveillance camera that captured Duarte looking “disheveled” as he headed toward the street, where the unnamed source alleged the incident occurred.Influencer Deaths of 2025: Alessandro Antonicelli and More Stars We’ve LostDuarte “informed or warned that he had a weapon and planned to use it,” according to the neighbor; however, she was uncertain what type of weapon it was.Several accounts claimed the food influencer allegedly threatened an officer with a knife.“It was a drawn-out incident that happened over several hours,” she told Us, describing the events leading to Duarte’s death as “regrettable and shocking.”Bianca Haseloff, a local real estate agent, also detailed her observations while showing a nearby vacant lot to a client around the time Duarte was shot.Haseloff told Us that she heard a male screaming and what “sounded like two gunshots.”What to Know About Late Food Influencer Michael Duarte AKA FoodWithBearHandsThe real estate agent alleged she heard a man “screaming very loudly,” noting that he sounded “very angry.”She added, “I clearly heard him say, ‘Someone needs to pick me up or get me out of here’ multiple times.”According to law enforcement, Duarte was given “multiple verbal instructions” to “get on the ground” before he allegedly “charged” at a responding deputy and yelled, “I’m going to kill you.”The responding deputy reportedly fired two rounds, striking Duarte.He was given medical attention at the scene before being transported to University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, where he was pronounced dead.Duarte is survived by his wife, Jessica, and 6-year-old daughter, Oakley.