(CNN) — Mexican influencer César Gastélum was shot dead on Tuesday while live streaming in front of a fast-food restaurant in the northwestern Mexican city of Culiacán, according to local and federal authorities.
Gastélum, who had over 600,000 followers on TikTok, was shot after being approached by two helmeted people on a motorcycle, according to footage seen by Reuters. A security official from the state of Sinaloa confirmed Gastélum’s death to Reuters and stated that a major security operation was underway.
On Wednesday, Mexico’s Federal Security Cabinet said that authorities are investigation whether the attack on Gastélum may have been related to “various posts” on social media “in some of which (Gastélum) made reference to a faction of a criminal group.”
Federal authorities, together with the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office, are analyzing “surveillance cameras and other evidence to identify and apprehend those responsible,” the Security Cabinet added.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized on Wednesday that authorities are investigating the incident to identify those responsible.
“The actual perpetrators — and, if applicable, the mastermind — must be arrested, and the reason behind this tragic homicide must be uncovered,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference.
Culiacán and other cities in Sinaloa have struggled with organized crime recently. According to a recent report by the non-governmental organization International Crisis Group, Los Mayos and Los Chapitos, both factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, have been clashing since September 2024 to gain ground in Sinaloa’s main cities — Culiacán and Mazatlán — as well as in other parts of the state.
The NGO’s report says that both factions use firearms, armored vehicles, and even drones, which has led to high levels of violence and disrupted daily life in several regions of Sinaloa. It adds that each side resorts to violent acts to intimidate its rival.
The Sinaloa Cartel factions are named after the founders of the criminal organization, Ismael “Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán, who became rivals for control of the cartel and are currently serving life sentences in the United States on drug trafficking charges. On one side, Los Mayos support Mayo Zambada, while Los Chapitos are aligned with Chapo Guzmán, and his faction is led by the drug lord’s sons.
Another influencer murdered
Gastélum’s death has parallels with a similar murder in May 2025, when Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Márquez was shot dead during a TikTok live stream at a salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.
At the end of July, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, whom federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch identified as the leader of Los Rs, a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Authorities linked Álvarez Ayala, who was also known as “R1,” to the murder of Márquez and accused him of ordering the assassination of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo in November 2025.
According to García Harfuch, Francisco, son of Álvarez Ayala, had a “romantic relationship” with Márquez.
Francisco “had already threatened her on several occasions and everything indicates … that the son asks his father, R1, to commit the femicide,” García Harfuch explained, adding that the son of Álvarez Ayala is at large and authorities are searching for him.
There is no official record of how many influencers have been killed in Mexico. Local media report that between eight and 12 have been killed in the state of Sinaloa alone over the past two years, while the non-governmental organization Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) has recorded at least 16 since 2018. Of that total, according to ACLED, most of the cases occurred in Sinaloa.
The-CNN-Wire
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