- Cesar Gastelum, who had over 600,000 followers on TikTok, was broadcasting with two friends dressed as food delivery workers as part of a challenge.
- Local police confirmed Gastelum's death, and the livestream was halted and later removed by the platform, though footage and images continued to circulate.
- The attack occurred in a busy shopping plaza near the Sinaloa prosecutor's office in the state capital.
- Soldiers and police were deployed while forensic experts collected evidence and removed the body, according to footage from local TV stations.
- The district has been troubled over the past two years by internal struggles within the powerful local cartel.
- Around a dozen influencers—some allegedly linked to criminal gangs—have been killed in recent years in Sinaloa, local media said.
The violence appears tied to online posts about a criminal group; authorities said the attack may be retaliatory for such content. In footage shared widely, a motorcycle with two people halted beside the victims and the shooter fired directly at Gastélum. The lines of investigation include numerous publications, some of which refer to a criminal group, Mexico's Security Cabinet said on X, offering no further details.
“The attack occurred in a busy shopping plaza near the Sinaloa prosecutor's office, where soldiers and police were deployed as forensic experts collected evidence. The district has been troubled by cartel infighting, and around a dozen influencers, some allegedly linked to gangs, have been killed in Sinaloa in recent years.”