Mexican influencer shot dead while streaming live on social media

César Gastélum, a popular Mexican influencer with nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok, was tragically shot dead while live streaming on social media in Culiacán, Sinaloa state. The 26-year-old was filming with two friends outside a fast-food restaurant when he was killed by a motorbike driver. Dressed in bright orange jackets and backpacks resembling food delivery personnel, the trio attracted the attention of a motorcycle with a driver and pillion rider. The rider drew a gun and executed Gastélum at close range.

Sinaloa security officials confirmed Gastélum's death and initiated a major security operation. Mexico's security cabinet stated that they are investigating several of his posts, including those referring to a criminal faction, and are analyzing video surveillance footage to identify and apprehend those responsible. President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged that the actual perpetrators and mastermind behind the shooting must be arrested, and the motive must be uncovered.

Since September 2024, at least 12 social media influencers have been murdered in Culiacán due to the escalating violence between two factions of the Sinaloa cartel. In neighboring Jalisco state, influencer Valeria Márquez, 23, was also killed while live-streaming on TikTok, where she had a large following. Her killer, Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, the leader of a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, was arrested last week. Álvarez has been accused of ordering and financing the assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, a city in Michoacán state, in November 2025.