Michael Duarte, who went by the Instagram handle @foodwithbearhands, was shot and killed by police after reports of a disturbance by a “male subject with a knife acting erratically.”
The Medina County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office told TMZ that Duarte was holding a knife when he approached a deputy in a threatening manner and “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.’ ”
USA Today said that Duarte had been “making threats to kill everyone” and “attempting to assault Fire and EMS personnel” before deputies got to the scene.
The deputy fired two rounds, hitting Duarte.
EMTs who were already at the scene rendered aid and transported him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Nov. 8.
Duarte has more than 2 million followers across all of his accounts, where he shared cooking videos and recipes, People magazine reported.
He leaves behind his wife and daughter, TMZ reported.
A GoFundMe established to financially support Duarte’s family described his death as a “horrible accident."
In an Instagram post, Duarte’s wife, Jessica, reacted to the overwhelming response from fans of her husband's work.
"I feel so touched and proud to know so many people that he has inspired over his time here on earth. I plan to keep his legacy going not only for him but his family," she wrote. "He gave everyone every bit of him so it’s my turn to give it back. I’m not quite sure what that looks like yet, but hopefully he will lead me on that path."
A tribute to Duarte was also shared: