Drive-by horror as Mexican influencer shot in head while livestreaming outside KFC
At least 12 social media influencers have been murdered in Culiacán since two factions of the Sinaloa cartel began their battle for control of the city in September 2024, according to local media reports.
A popular Mexican influencer has been shot dead while livestreaming on social media outside a KFC.
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Cesar Gastélum, 25, was killed on Tuesday while livestreaming with two friends outside the fast food chain in a busy shopping plaza in the northwestern city of Culiacan. The three were dressed in cowboy hats and bright orange jackets with the large backpacks of food delivery drivers.
Videos circulating online show two people on a motorcycle, both wearing helmets, approaching him and his friends. The driver of the motorcycle then fires a gun directly at Gastélum's head who immediately collapses.
Gastélum - who had nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok - was known for his comedy videos and lifestyle content.
A Sinaloan state official said a significant security operation was underway following his death. So far, no arrests have yet been made.
At least 12 social media influencers have been murdered in Culiacán since two factions of the Sinaloa cartel began their battle for control of the city in September 2024, according to local media reports.
The drive-by shooting may have been in retaliation for social media posts Gastélum made about a criminal group, authorities said Wednesday.
Mexico’s security cabinet wrote on X that it was investigating several of Gastélum’s posts, “some of which referred to a faction of a criminal group”.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said authorities are searching for those responsible.
“The actual perpetrators, and if applicable the mastermind, must be arrested, and the reason behind this tragic homicide must be uncovered,” she said in her morning press conference.
The shooting has parallels with the May 2025 killing of Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez, who was shot to death during a TikTok livestream at the salon where she worked in Zapopan, in the western state of Jalisco.
Marquez, 23, was killed after a man entered the salon and opened fire, according to prosecutors. Her death was investigated under femicide protocols.
Marquez's murder shocked Mexico — where killings and kidnappings are a daily occurrence — and brought into a renewed spotlight both its femicide epidemic and growing violence against influencers.
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In July, Mexican authorities announced the arrest in Jalisco of Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, known as "El R-1," whom Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch identified as the leader of a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Authorities have linked Alvarez Ayala to the killing of Marquez and accused him of ordering and financing the November 2025 murder of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo.
In January 2025, a small plane was reported to have dropped pamphlets in Culiacan threatening around 20 artists and YouTubers for alleged dealings with a warring faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel, reported CBS.
