Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum was shot and killed on Tuesday while livestreaming with friends outside a fast food restaurant in Culiacan, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, local authorities said.
The livestream, which was originally posted on an unspecified platform, later circulated elsewhere on social media.
Gastelum, who had close to 600,000 followers on TikTok and many other followers on Instagram and other platforms, was known for his comedy content. He was broadcasting live outside the restaurant with two friends, all reportedly dressed as delivery drivers as part of a challenge for the video.
What do we know?
During the stream, a motorcycle carrying two people pulled up beside them. Footage from the livestream appeared to show the motorcycle driver shooting at Gastelum’s head directly. The broadcast cut out at that moment.
While news agencies reported that the video was later taken down, portions of it continued to circulate online.
A security official in Sinaloa confirmed Gastelum’s death and said a major security operation was under way. Local television footage showed soldiers and police at the scene, a busy commercial plaza near the state prosecutor’s office in Culiacan, while forensic investigators collected evidence.
Initial police reports described the victim as a delivery worker. He was later identified as Gastelum, who local media reported was around 25 years old, after the video and witness accounts helped confirm his identity.
Culiacan at the center of a conflict between rival crime factions
Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, has been gripped by violence for the past two years amid an internal power struggle within the region’s dominant drug cartel. Local press have reported that several influencers, some allegedly linked to criminal groups, have been killed in Sinaloa in recent years.
The killing echoes the May 2025 death of beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, 23, who was shot while livestreaming on TikTok at the salon where she worked in Zapopan, in Mexico’s western state of Jalisco. Her death was investigated as possible femicide.
Local authorities arrested Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, also known as “El R-1,” in Jalisco in July. Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch described him as the head of a criminal cell tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Investigators say Alvarez Ayala played a role in Marquez’s death and that he financed and directed the November 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar and Rebecca Staudenmaier
Editor’s note from August 6, 2026: This article has been updated to further clarify that the livestream of the attack did not take place on TikTok, but rather another, as yet unidentified, social media platform. While DW did not report that Cesar Gastelum had been streaming on TikTok, we have updated the article to make that distinction clearer.
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