Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum was shot and killed while livestreaming outside a fast-food restaurant in Sinaloa.
Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum was shot and killed on Tuesday evening while livestreaming outside a KFC restaurant in Culiacan, Sinaloa. The attack occurred as Gastelum, who had nearly 600,000 TikTok followers, was recording content with friends when two people on a motorcycle approached and the driver fired a single handgun shot at his head. Gastelum died at the scene, and his body was left near the restaurant's drive-thru exit as police and military personnel secured the area. This incident highlights the ongoing violence in Culiacan, which has served as the epicenter of a violent internal conflict between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The conflict intensified after the abduction of cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada by a son of former leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. President Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization. The killing of Cesar Gastelum also recalls the May 2025 death of beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, who was also killed during a TikTok livestream.