A Mexican social media influencer named Cesar Gastelum was shot dead Tuesday while on a livestream with a group of friends outside a restaurant in the city of Culiacan in northwestern Mexico, local authorities said
Gastelum, who had nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok and was best known for posting comedy skit videos, was streaming outside a fast food restaurant when two individuals pulled up on a motorcycle and appeared to fire a gun directly at him, according to footage reviewed by Reuters
1:07
Aftermath of L.A. murder suspect livestreaming shooting on Facebook
- Aftermath of L.A. murder suspect livestreaming shooting on Facebook
- Dominican journalists shot dead during Facebook Live broadcast
Woman posts livestream of herself on Facebook after being shot
A Sinaloa state official confirmed Gastelum’s death to the British news agency, saying an investigation was underway and that security had been ramped up in the area
The shooting comes amid a wave of violence in Culiacan, which for some time has been at the centre of a conflict between enemy crime gangs vying for control
Get daily National news
Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News’ Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
It also follows the May 2025 killing of Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, who was shot dead during a TikTok livestream at the salon where she worked in the western state of Jalisco
Marquez, 23, was killed after a man entered the salon and opened fire, according to prosecutors. Her death was investigated under femicide protocols
Femicide can include degrading violence, sexual abuse or a relationship with the murderer. It may also involve the victim’s body being exposed in a public space, the Mexican authorities said
Her brazen killing sent shockwaves through Mexico, a country that faces some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world
At the time of her death, Marquez had about 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok
In July, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, known as “El R-1,” whom Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch identified as the leader of a criminal cell linked to a Jalisco cartel and the fatal shooting of Marquez
He was also arrested for ordering the assassination of a mayor in Michoacan state, Security Minister Omar Garcia said in a post on X on Thursday
Ramón Ángel “N”, alias “R1”, señalado como el autor intelectual del cobarde homicidio del exalcalde de Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, fue detenido después de meses de trabajos de inteligencia e investigación, en una operación de @SSPCMexico y Fuerzas Especiales del Ejército Mexicano…
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) July 30, 2026
Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Boliemicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 femicide deaths for every 100,000 women in 2023
2:26
Mexican beauty influencer shot dead while live on TikTok being investigated as possible femicide
