The online food community is mourning the loss of Michael Duarte, known to his followers as FoodWithBearHands. Duarte was allegedly shot by one of the deputies of the Medina County Sheriff in Castroville, Texas, on November 8, 2025, after he had a mental health breakdown. His fans, family, and other creators are stunned by the incident.It is reported that deputies were acting on a 911 call of a man who was behaving in an erratic fashion with a knife. Duarte supposedly disobeyed several orders to put down the weapon and approached the deputy, who fired two shots. He was taken to the University Hospital in San Antonio, and it was declared that he was dead. There are Texas Rangers assisting in the investigation to determine exactly what transpired.Duarte leaves behind his wife, Jessica, and a six-year-old daughter, Oakley. His family and followers mourn the unexpected death of a man whom many were accustomed to because of his fondness for food and online narration.Michael Duarte's family and fans rally through GoFundMe View this post on Instagram Instagram PostFollowing Duarte’s death, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to support his family.The page reads, “It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news that Michael Duarte passed away in a horrible incident on Saturday, November 8th during his travel in Texas.”The fundraiser aims to help cover the cost of bringing Duarte’s body home to California and paying for funeral expenses.The GoFundMe post also shared a message from the family: “The world may know him as ‘FoodWithBearHands,’ but to us, he was a loving husband, father, brother, and a great friend to many.” It continued, “We ask that you lift Michael's family up in prayer during this extremely difficult time, especially for his 6-year-old daughter Oakley, and his wife Jessica.”At the time of writing, the campaign has raised more than $65,000 of its $100,000 goal. Supporters have left hundreds of messages online expressing sympathy and gratitude for Duarte’s positive impact.“He inspired me to cook for my family,” one donor wrote. “His videos always made me smile.” Jessica Duarte also thanked the community, saying their kindness reminded her that she and Oakley “are not carrying this weight alone.”Read More: "Whoa. Okay. It is very cool": Hailey Bieber speaks candidly about selling 'Rhode' for a whopping billion dollarsRemembering Michael Duarte’s life and work View this post on Instagram Instagram PostMichael Duarte entered the food industry at the age of 14, when he was employed at his uncle's restaurant in Calipatria, California. He started his career as a dishwasher and, over the years, rose to become a restaurant manager at local establishments such as a steakhouse and Dave & Buster's in San Diego. In 2019, he opened his Instagram account, @foodwithbearhands, on which he shot casual and entertaining cooking content. His content soon attracted a following due to its easy-to-cook recipes and a sense of community, and garnered him more than two million followers on social media. Besides being a content creator, Duarte was also in the catering business and always made use of his platform to advertise local food events.Read More: What happened to food influencer Michael Duarte? Texas police release details of fatal shooting