Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum was shot dead on Tuesday while livestreaming with friends outside a fast food restaurant in Culiacan, authorities in Sinaloa state confirmed.
According to local officials, Gastelum, who had nearly 600,000 TikTok followers and was known for his comedy videos, was broadcasting live when two helmeted individuals arrived on a motorcycle. Video from the livestream, reviewed by Reuters, appeared to show the passenger opening fire before the attackers fled the scene.
A Sinaloa security official confirmed Gastelum’s death and said authorities had launched a major operation to locate those responsible.
The killing comes as Culiacan continues to experience violence linked to rival criminal groups competing for control in Sinaloa.
The incident also recalls the May 2025 killing of beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, who was fatally shot during a TikTok livestream at the salon where she worked in Zapopan, Jalisco. Prosecutors investigated her death as a suspected femicide.
In July, Mexican authorities arrested Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, also known as “El R-1,” in Jalisco. Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch identified him as the leader of a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Authorities allege he ordered Marquez’s killing and financed the November 2025 murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.
Leave a comment