MIAMI – Authorities announced Wednesday that a man known to be friends with Cuban rapper El Taiger has been identified as the prime suspect in the murder. This marks a significant development in the high-profile case.

Miami Police Department, 49-year-old Damian Valdez-Galloso, arrested in New York After failing to register as a sex offender in Florida earlier this week.

Police had been looking for Valdez-Galloso for several weeks to question him about the murder of El Taiger, whose real name is Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar.

Authorities believe Valdez-Galloso may have important information that will help their case.

El Taiger, 37, was found shot in the back of an SUV near Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami on October 3.

Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales shared details of the arrest, crediting the combined efforts of local, state and federal agencies in taking Valdez-Galloso into custody.

The investigation intensified when New York authorities detained Valdez-Galloso, who police initially said was a person of interest in El Taiger’s murder. Investigators later said they obtained video evidence showing the suspect shooting the rapper on October 3.

Surveillance video of the incident showed El Taiger being fatally shot and his body later found in the cargo area of ​​a white SUV parked near his Valdez-Galloso home in Hialeah, according to investigators.

Police also confirmed that the attack took place at Valdez-Galloso’s home and not inside the SUV.

Although Valdez-Galloso was arrested on unrelated charges, Miami investigators are working closely with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to determine additional charges related to the rapper’s death.

The motive for the crime remains unclear.