Cesar Gastelum: Mexican social media Influencer shot to death in middle of livestream

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A social media influencer has been shot dead in the middle of a livestream.

Cesar Gastelum, a Mexican influence with 600,000 followers on TikTok was shot and killed on Tuesday outside a fast food restaurant in the northwestern city of Culiacan.

He was streaming with friends at the time. Gastelum, who was known for comedy videos, ⁠was streaming live outside a fast food restaurant when two people on a motorcycle, both wearing helmets, approached him ⁠and his friends.

In a recording of the livestream, the driver of the motorcycle appeared ‌to fire a gun directly at Gastelum’s head.

A screengrab from Cesar Gastelum’s live stream before he was shot dead (Cesar Gastelum’)

Culiacán is the capital of Sinaloa, where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have fuelled nearly two years of violence. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, when Sinaloa was entering a new spiral of violence following the abduction of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada by a son of former cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Zambada was handed over to US authorities and his faction of the cartel went to war with the faction led by Guzmán’s sons.

Initially, residents of Culiacan were caught in the crossfire, but the conflict eventually extended statewide. US President Donald Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel, among others, a foreign terrorist organization.

A security official in Sinaloa state confirmed Gastelum’s death and said a significant security operation ‌was underway.

The killing comes amid persistent ‌violence in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, which has been at the center of a conflict between rival organized crime factions competing for control. The shooting also ⁠recalled the May 2025 killing of Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, who was shot to death during a TikTok livestream at the salon where she worked in Zapopan, in the western state of Jalisco.

A sign from the Attorney General office is pictured at the beauty salon where influencer Valeria Marquez (23) was murdered, in Zapopan, Jalisco State, Mexico on May 15, 2025 (AFP/Getty)

Marquez, 23, was killed after a man entered the salon and opened fire, according to prosecutors. Her death was investigated under femicide ‌protocols.

In July, Mexican authorities announced the arrest in Jalisco of Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, known as “El R-1,” whom ‌Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch identified ⁠as the leader of a criminal cell linked to ⁠the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Authorities have linked Alvarez Ayala to the killing of ‌Marquez and accused him of ordering and financing ‌the November 2025 murder of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo.

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