Mexican TikToker Shot Dead While Live-Streaming
Al Jazeera Staff
Mexican TikToker Cesar Gastelum, with over 650,000 followers, was fatally shot during a live stream in Culiacan, Sinaloa. Authorities are investigating the killing, which occurred amid cartel violence in the region.
Cesar Gastelum, a Mexican content creator with more than 650,000 TikTok followers, was shot dead on Tuesday while live-streaming, according to authorities. The incident occurred in a parking lot near the local prosecutor's office in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, a volatile region of Mexico.
Footage of the moment Gastelum was killed, seen by the Associated Press, shows him laughing and talking with two other men in a KFC parking lot when two men on a motorcycle approached. One of them pulled out a gun and shot Gastelum before both quickly fled the scene.
Sinaloa has been ravaged by clashes between the Los Mayos and Los Chapitos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. Bodies are frequently left across the city with markings characteristic of each faction.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during a press conference on Wednesday morning: "We must find out why this unfortunate killing happened. Those responsible must be arrested."
Gastelum often referred to himself as "belico," a term used in Mexican subcultures to imply involvement in gang culture. Mexico's National Security Commission and local prosecutors said an investigation is underway and that Gastelum had apparently released several videos in which he "alluded to one faction of the criminal group."
The case marks the second killing of a content creator live-streaming on TikTok in Mexico in about a year. In May 2025, 23-year-old beauty content creator Valeria Marquez was also fatally shot while live-streaming in the central Mexican state of Jalisco.
Shortly afterward, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on five leaders of a Mexican drug cartel, including the main suspect in Marquez's murder. The sanctions targeted the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has said is responsible for a significant portion of the fentanyl and other illicit drugs entering the United States.
The cartel is led by Nemesio Ruben "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, one of the five sanctioned leaders. U.S. authorities have offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
A senior commander with close ties to him, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, was also sanctioned. The U.S. Treasury said he is the main suspect in Marquez's murder; she was identified as his romantic partner.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced rewards of up to $102 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of eight CJNG leaders.
