Mexican influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream

What the report says

Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum was shot and killed during a TikTok livestream in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, according to Al Jazeera and authorities cited in the report. Gastelum, who had about 650,000 followers, was killed on Tuesday in a car park near the local prosecutor’s office while sitting with two other men. A video reviewed by The Associated Press reportedly shows two attackers arriving on a motorcycle before one opens fire and both flee.

The killing has drawn attention because Sinaloa has been wracked by violence linked to rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the city has seen repeated attacks tied to that conflict. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said officials needed to determine why the homicide happened and called for those responsible to be arrested. Local and federal authorities said an investigation is under way.

According to Al Jazeera, investigators said Gastelum had posted content in which he referred to himself as “belico,” a term associated in some Mexican subcultures with cartel imagery, and had released videos that appeared to allude to a criminal group faction. The report notes the killing follows the May 2025 livestreamed murder of another influencer, Valeria Marquez, which also raised concern about violence directed at public figures online. More broadly, Mexico has long faced entrenched cartel violence, but the article does not link Gastelum’s death to any confirmed motive or suspect.