Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum, who, according to the local authorities, was shot and killed while livestreaming with friends outside a fast food restaurant in the northwestern city of Culiacan | Photo Credit: via Reuters
Accorrding to BBC on Wednesday, Gastélum was filming with two friends in the Tres Ríos area on Tuesday evening when two men riding a motorcycle approached them and one of the assailants shot him at a close range.
The influencer, who had more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, was known for sharing comedy videos on the platform.
According to local media reports, Gastélum and his friends were wearing bright orange jackets and bags commonly used by delivery riders, initially leading police to believe the victim was a delivery worker before his identity was confirmed.
The attackers fled the scene on the motorcycle, and no arrests had been made as of the time of filing this report.
Authorities have not disclosed whether Gastélum had received any threats before the attack.
One of his posts also showed him at the graveside of fellow influencer Leobardo Aispuro, popularly known as “El Gordo Peruci,” who was shot dead in December 2024 in a killing police believed may have been linked to the rivalry between two factions of the Sinaloa cartel.
Gastélum’s death is the latest in a string of attacks on social media personalities in Mexico.
In 2025, 23-year-old influencer Valeria Márquez was also shot dead while livestreaming from a beauty salon on TikTok.
The killing comes amid escalating violence in Sinaloa State, where clashes between the rival Los Chapitos and La Mayiza factions of the Sinaloa cartel have intensified since September 2024.
