Mexican influencer killed on livestream

Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum was fatally shot by gunmen on a motorcycle during a livestream in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state. Authorities are investigating the possibility that his death on Tuesday was retaliation for social media posts he made concerning a criminal group.

Gastelum, who had over 500,000 TikTok followers, was dressed as a food distributor and participating in a social media challenge with two friends when the attack occurred. His audience witnessed the shooting during the live broadcast. The video, which was later removed by content moderators, was also captured by security cameras.

Mexico's Security Cabinet stated on X that "lines of investigation include numerous publications, some of which refer to a criminal group." Culiacan is known as a battleground for warring drug factions and is central to "narco-culture," which glorifies drug traffickers. Reports indicate that social media influencers in the region are often linked to rival criminal gangs, leading to acts of intimidation and score-settling.

This incident follows other high-profile killings of influencers in Mexico. In May 2025, beauty and fashion influencer Valeria Marquez was murdered during a livestream in Jalisco, with authorities linking her death to her ex-boyfriend, the son of a powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader. In 2017, an influencer known as "the Pirate of Culiacan" was killed days after mentioning Nemesio Oseguera, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in a video.

“

The lines of investigation include numerous publications, some of which refer to a criminal group.