Mexican TikTok Influencer Shot Dead During Culiacan Livestream
Mexican TikTok influencer Cesar Gastelum, 24, was killed in Culiacan on Tuesday during a livestream; officials say a federal-state probe is underway.
Lauren Collins ·
Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum, 24, was shot dead while livestreaming in Culiacan, Mexico, on Tuesday at about 8:15 p.m. local time, officials said. Authorities said assailants on a motorcycle approached and opened fire as Gastelum broadcast to his TikTok audience of more than 700,000 followers.
The attack happened in a parking lot in the Tres Rios district, near the local prosecutor’s office, according to the information provided. Two people who were with Gastelum during the broadcast were not injured, the repoSources said.
Investigation underway; no arrests reported Authorities have not reported any arrests and have not publicly identified a motive, officials said. The assailants were not identified in the report.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said an investigation is underway involving federal security agencies and the Sinaloa state attorney general’s office. Officials said investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and examining Gastelum’s social media activity as part of the case.
Federal Security Cabinet reviews Gastelum’s posts
Mexico’s Federal Security Cabinet said it is analyzing Gastelum’s digital content, according to officials. Authorities said some of his posts included references to criminal factions involved in a power struggle within the Sinaloa cartel. Officials tied those references to the internal dispute that followed the July 2024 arrest of Ismael Zambada. Culiacan, in the northern state of Sinaloa, has been a focal point for cartel-linked violence, the article noted.
Influencer killings cited in Culiacan since September 2024
The repoSources said Mexican authorities have reported that at least 12 influencers have been killed in Culiacan since September 2024. Officials have not linked Gastelum’s killing to any specific group. The shooting adds to a wider pattern in Mexico in which social media figures have been attacked during or around livestreams, according to the article. It cited the May 2025 killing of beauty influencer Valeria Marquez in the western state of Jalisco during a TikTok livestream.