A Mexican social media influencer with 650,000 followers on TikTok has been killed while he was doing a livestream, authorities have said. Cesar Gastelum was shot dead on Tuesday in Culiacan, the capital of Mexico’s volatile Sinaloa state. The shooting took place near the local prosecutor’s office.

Sinaloa is a state with a long history of cartel activity and violence, making incidents like this particularly concerning for authorities and residents alike. The state has been ravaged by warring between factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel in recent years.

A video of the moment of Gastelum’s death shows him laughing with two other men in a car park when two individuals on a motorcycle approached. One of the assailants is seen pulling out a gun and shooting Gastelum before they fled the scene. Candles were later placed near the spot where Gastelum was killed.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the perpetrators must be arrested and an investigation is underway to determine the motive. Officials noted that Gastelum’s content sometimes alluded to a connection with cartel culture, and he referred to himself as "belico," a term often associated with cartel affiliations.

This incident marks a disturbing trend of violence impacting social media personalities. In May 2025, beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, 23, was also killed while livestreaming on TikTok in the central state of Jalisco. That killing led to U.S. Treasury sanctions against leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The U.S. Department of the Treasury had previously imposed sanctions against five leaders of a Mexican drug cartel, including a prime suspect in Marquez’s murder, targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has identified CJNG as responsible for a significant amount of fentanyl and other illegal drugs entering the U.S.

Nemesio Ruben “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of CJNG, was among those sanctioned, with U.S. authorities offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture. A cartel commander closely linked to him, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, was also sanctioned and identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as the prime suspect in Marquez’s murder.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced further rewards, totaling up to $102 million, for information leading to the arrest or conviction of eight CJNG leaders, underscoring the ongoing U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking organizations operating from Mexico.