In the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacán, Mexico, influencer César Gastélum was shot and killed while live streaming Tuesday night, according to authorities.
Gastélum had over 600,000 followers on TikTok and millions of views and likes. The 25-year-old streamer was best known for his lifestyle content.
The incident occurred near the Sinaloa prosecutor’s office while Gastélum was live streaming with friends outside of a restaurant. He and his friends were dressed as delivery workers. Per Reuters, two people in helmets on a motorcycle approached the streamer, and he was then shot. From the livestream recording, it appears that the driver fired the gun directly at Gastélum. TikTok ended the stream, and later removed it. Local media reported that the two friends were not injured in the attack.
An official from Sinaloa, the state where Gastélum died, confirmed the death and stated that there was a major security operation underway to investigate the attack.
Wednesday, Mexico’s Federal Security Cabinet stated that the investigation included whether Gastélum was killed for social media posts, “in some of which [Gastélum] made reference to a faction of a criminal group.” One of his posts shows him at the grave of Leobardo Aispuro, or “El Gordo Peruci”, another influencer who was shot and killed in December 2024. Local police said that his death may also have been linked to the cartel. The deaths of other influencers like Juan Carlos López, known as El Chilango, and Jesús Miguel Vivanco García, known as "El Jasper," have also been linked to the cartel, according to authorities.
Authorities are looking into “surveillance cameras and other evidence to identify and apprehend those responsible.”
“The actual perpetrators — and, if applicable, the mastermind — must be arrested, and the reason behind this tragic homicide must be uncovered,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in her Wednesday morning press conference.
Organized crime has been rising in the state of Sinaloa, with both factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Mayos and Los Chapitos, fighting for the last two years to gain control of the main cities of Culiacán, Mazatlán, and others, according to the International Crisis Group. The Mexican military has intervened, but killings keep continuing, according to the ICG. The factions' use of dangerous weapons has led to reports of violence in several areas of Sinaloa.
Gastélum’s death comes a little over a year after the shocking death of another Mexican social media star, beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, in Zapopan, Jalisco. The influencer was shot and died while on a live stream at a salon. Recently, authorities arrested the alleged leader of Los Rs, Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, for the murder. Álvarez Ayala was also accused of ordering the assassination of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, on Día de los Muertos last November.
Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch has alleged that Álvarez Ayala’s son had had a romantic relationship with Márquez and that his son was the one who asked for the influencer to be murdered. The son is still at large.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/M6OXFit
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