Mexican influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream

A popular TikTok creator, César Gastelum, was fatally shot on Tuesday while filming a livestream with friends outside a fast-food restaurant in Culiacán, the capital of Mexico's Sinaloa state, local authorities said.

Gastelum had nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok, where he was known for comedic videos. During the live broadcast, he was interacting with viewers when two people on a motorcycle approached. Both attackers wore helmets. In a recording obtained by Reuters, the motorcycle driver can be seen apparently firing a shot at Gastelum.

A Sinaloa state security official confirmed the influencer's death and said a large-scale security operation had been launched. The attack took place against a backdrop of long-running violence between rival organized crime groups in Culiacán, which has been one of Mexico's crime hotspots for years.

The killing evoked the May 2025 case of Valeria Marcas, a beauty influencer who was shot dead during a TikTok livestream at her salon in Jalisco. The 23-year-old was killed after a man entered the salon and opened fire; investigators treated it as a potential gender-related murder. In July, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, also known as “El R-1,” in Jalisco. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch identified him as a leader of a criminal group linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Authorities also connect Álvarez Ayala to the murder of Marcas and to the killing of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manso.