Mexican TikTok influencer Cesar Gastelum shot dead while livestreaming in Culiacan
Mexican social media influencer César Gastélum was shot dead while livestreaming on TikTok outside a fast-food restaurant in Culiacán on Tuesday.
Gastélum, known for comedy videos, was streaming live with two friends when two men arrived on a motorcycle. One of the suspects shot him at close range before the pair fled. Local media reported that police initially believed the victim was a delivery rider because he and his companions were wearing bright yellow jackets and carrying delivery bags. Authorities later confirmed his identity.
No arrests have been made. Investigators are examining cartridge casings recovered from the scene and reviewing closed-circuit television footage. No motive has been disclosed, and it remains unclear whether Gastélum had received prior threats.
His killing is the latest in a series of attacks on social media personalities in Mexico. In May 2025, beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, 23, was shot dead while livestreaming from a salon in Zapopan. Another influencer, Leobardo “El Gordo Peruci” Aispuro, was killed in Culiacán in December 2024.
The pattern of violence against online creators while they are broadcasting raises questions about both the risks attached to public visibility and the ability of local authorities to protect or rapidly investigate such cases. Livestreaming turns a private moment into a public record; when violence intervenes, the same technology that built an audience also records the attack.
Until arrests are made and a motive established, the death of Gastélum remains another instance of targeted violence against a digital creator in a region where such killings have become recurrent. The investigation’s progress will determine whether this case produces accountability or joins the list of unresolved attacks on social media figures.
