César Gastélum, a Mexican influencer with more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, was shot dead while livestreaming on an unspecified platform on Tuesday evening.
The tragedy unfolded outside a fast‑food restaurant in the district of Tres Ríos, Culiacán, when a motorbike rider approached and fired a single shot at close range.
Gastélum and his friends were wearing bright orange coats and bags commonly used by delivery drivers; police initially believed he was a delivery person before his identity was confirmed.
This is not the first influencer killed in Mexico during a live‑stream: last year 23‑year‑old Valeria Márquez was shot dead while broadcasting on TikTok.
Investigators have cordoned the area, collected cartridge casings, and reviewed CCTV footage; the two motorbike riders fled the scene and no arrests have been made yet.
It is still unclear whether Gastélum had received threats beforehand.
The incident occurs amid escalating violence in Sinaloa, where factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed since September 2024, and is linked to the murder of the “El Gordo Peruci” influencer, who was slain in December 2024.
A correction has been noted: Gastélum was livestreaming on an unspecified social media platform, not TikTok as originally reported.
