A man has been arrested in connection to the shooting of influencer Cesar Gastelum during a live broadcast, as announced by the Mexican authorities on Wednesday. The incident occurred on August 4 in Culiacan, Sinaloa, a region known for its drug-related violence.

Gastelum, who boasted over 500,000 followers on TikTok, was participating in a social media challenge disguised as a food delivery worker. A motorcycle approached him during his livestream, and the driver reportedly opened fire, as shown in footage reviewed by Reuters.

Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch revealed that police tracked the suspect to Puebla in central Mexico. The arrest operation involved an exchange of gunfire with three armed individuals, resulting in one fatality. Authorities apprehended two individuals, confiscating weapons and vehicles during the raid.

The security secretariat of Mexico indicated that preliminary investigations linked Gastelum’s death to his social media content, suggesting associations with a criminal group. The ongoing conflict between rival Sinaloa Cartel factions fuels violence in this area. The cartel, established by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, continues to impact the region despite Guzman’s incarceration in the US.

Culiacan, the heart of ‘narco-culture,’ often sees influencers embroiled in disputes with criminal gangs. Over a dozen influencers have been killed in recent years in Sinaloa. In one instance last year, influencer Valeria Marquez was murdered during a TikTok livestream at a salon. Her assailant, believed to be a hitman, was later arrested. This event further highlighted Mexico’s problem with both femicide and increasing violence against influencers.

Such attacks are not isolated to Mexico. Similar incidents have occurred across Latin America. In Venezuela, a TikTok influencer was killed during a livestream after exposing a criminal gang. These events underscore the risks social media personalities face in regions plagued by organized crime.