Mexican influencer Cesar Gastélum, 24, was shot and killed during a social media livestream on Tuesday night outside a KFC in Culiacán, Sinaloa. Gastélum and two companions, dressed as food delivery workers, were filming a skit when they noticed a motorcycle nearby.
"The motorcycle, the motorcycle," one of Gastélum's companions reportedly said. Gastélum responded, "Those guys scare me," according to El Heraldo de Mexico. Moments later, he was shot at close range.
The assailants fled the scene, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged that the perpetrators will be apprehended and the motive behind the killing uncovered.
Authorities are investigating a potential link to cartel activity. Gastélum, who had over 650,000 TikTok followers, used the term "belico," a slang term in cartel culture meaning "warlike." Sinaloa, the state where the incident occurred, has been a focal point of cartel violence, with Culiacán experiencing clashes between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
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Reports indicate that certain cartel factions leave specific items at crime scenes; the Los Chapitos faction has been associated with leaving pizza or pizza boxes, while the Los Mayos faction leaves sombreros. Gastélum was seen wearing a white sombrero before the shooting, which some reports suggest could signify allegiance to a cartel faction.
Alejandro Fierro, who was livestreaming with Gastélum, expressed his grief on Instagram Stories, stating that his friend "never deserved this" and describing the incident as the "worst day" of his life. Fierro described himself and Gastélum as "just two young guys with a dream who weren’t hurting anyone."
This killing follows a similar incident last year when influencer Valeria Marquez, 23, was fatally shot in her Jalisco beauty salon. Authorities allege the assassination was ordered by a Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader after her breakup with his son.
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