Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum shot dead while streaming live on social media

A popular Mexican content creator was killed in a targeted shooting this week, captured live on camera in front of hundreds of thousands of online followers.

Cesar Gastelum, a TikTok personality with close to 600,000 followers known for his comedic sketches, was gunned down Tuesday evening in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state in northwestern Mexico.

According to authorities, the attack unfolded around 8 p.m. local time as Gastelum and several companions filmed content outside a fast-food restaurant, reportedly dressed as delivery drivers for a video challenge.

Footage from the broadcast, later reviewed by Reuters, showed a motorcycle carrying two helmeted riders pulling alongside the group. The driver then raised a handgun and fired directly at the influencer. Gastelum was struck and died at the scene; the assailants sped away immediately afterward. The livestream was cut short and eventually taken down, though clips of the moment have continued to circulate online.

A Sinaloa state security official confirmed the death to Reuters and said law enforcement had launched a major operation in response. Soldiers and police reportedly sealed off the area — a busy commercial plaza near the state prosecutor’s office — while forensic teams gathered evidence and recovered the body.

Mexican federal officials said they are examining whether the killing was connected to social media posts in which Gastelum allegedly referenced a faction of a criminal organization. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage alongside the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office in an effort to track down those responsible.

A City Caught Between Rival Cartel Factions

Culiacan has seen sustained bloodshed as two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel — known as Los Mayos and Los Chapitos — battle for territorial control.

Research from the International Crisis Group notes that both sides have deployed firearms, armored vehicles and drones in the conflict, fueling widespread instability across the region since late 2024.

Part of a Disturbing Pattern

Gastelum’s death echoes other recent, high-profile killings of Latin American influencers broadcast in real time. In May 2025, beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot and killed during a TikTok livestream at the Jalisco salon where she worked; her case was investigated as a femicide. Days later, Colombian influencer Maria Jose Estupinan was killed at her home in Cúcuta.

Authorities announced in July the arrest of a suspect, identified as Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, tied to the Marquez case and to the killing of a Mexican mayor. It remains unclear whether that case has any link to Gastelum’s death.