Mexican Influencer Shot Dead During Tiktok Live Stream in Culiacán

Cesar Gastelum was killed on Tuesday in a Kentucky Fried Chicken car park near the local prosecutor's office, where he sat laughing with two other men when two attackers on a motorcycle pulled up and shot him before fleeing. The video of the killing was seen by The Associated Press. Sinaloa has been ravaged by warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Mayos and Los Chapitos, in recent years.

"We must find out why this deplorable homicide occurred, President Claudia Sheinbaum told journalists on Wednesday, adding that "perpetrators must be arrested. Gastelum posted content referring to himself as "belico, a term implying a connection to cartel culture. Mexico's security cabinet and local prosecutors said an investigation was ongoing, noting Gastelum had released videos in which he "alluded to a faction of a criminal group.

In May 2025, beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, 23, was also shot dead while livestreaming on TikTok in Jalisco state. The US Treasury later sanctioned five leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), including its leader Nemesio Ruben "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, with a $15m reward for his capture, and Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, the prime suspect in Marquez's murder, whom they identified as her alleged romantic partner. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced rewards of up to $102m for information leading to the arrest or conviction of eight CJNG leaders.