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Popular social media influencer shot dead during livestream outside restaurant in Mexico
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum, with over 600,000 TikTok followers, was shot dead while livestreaming outside a restaurant in Sinaloa, a region plagued by cartel violence.
- The attack occurred in a busy plaza near the Sinaloa prosecutor's office in Culiacan, where a motorcycle passenger fired directly at Gastelum during the livestream.
- Local police confirmed Gastelum's death, initially misidentifying him as a delivery worker; the livestream was halted and removed, but footage of the shooting continues to circulate.
- Sinaloa has seen the deaths of around a dozen influencers in recent years, some allegedly linked to criminal gangs, highlighting ongoing cartel-related violence and risks to social media personalities.
- Previous high-profile cases include the 2024 killing of influencer Valeria Marquez during a TikTok livestream, which drew attention to Mexico's femicide crisis and increasing threats against online content creators.
