A tragic incident occurred in Mexico’s northwest when a social media influencer was shot dead during a live stream. This event took place in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state. Authorities have linked this killing to the ongoing cartel violence but have not specified any group responsible.

The influencer, César Gastélum, was enjoying a moment at a Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot with two other men when the attack happened. A video viewed by The Associated Press shows two men arriving on a motorcycle. One of them fired a gun at Gastélum, and the perpetrators quickly fled the scene. This attack happened near the local prosecutor’s office during rush hour.

“We must find out why this deplorable homicide occurred,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during a press conference, emphasizing the need to arrest the perpetrators.

Gastélum, known for his comedy videos on TikTok and other platforms, had amassed over 650,000 followers. He occasionally described himself as “bélico,” a term that implies a connection to cartel culture. His sudden death attracted many messages of condolence on his social media accounts.

Sinaloa has experienced significant turmoil due to conflicts between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The violence left grim marks throughout the city, with bodies sometimes displayed with symbolic items like pizza boxes or sombreros to denote faction allegiance. When Gastélum was killed, he was seen wearing a white sombrero. Local residents lit candles on the pavement where he died.

This was the second incident in just over a year where an influencer was killed during a livestream. In May 2025, Valeria Márquez, a beauty influencer, was shot while live streaming in Jalisco.

These events occur as the Mexican government faces international pressure to address cartel violence. Influencers, especially in crime-dominated regions like Sinaloa and Jalisco, have become frequent targets. According to security analyst David Saucedo, influencers are threatened or killed for various reasons. These include alleged ties to criminal factions, creation of social media content for them, or personal relationships with members. In some cases, they might be involved in laundering money or spreading cartel-related information.

Cartels often seek to exert influence over media presence in their territories, using social media actors to further their messages.