César Gastélum, a Mexican TikTok influencer with between 600,000 and 700,000 followers, was killed on August 4, 2026, while livestreaming outside a fast food restaurant in Culiacán, Sinaloa state [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Gastélum, about 24 or 25 years old, was recording with two friends at about 8:15 p.m. local time. They wore bright orange clothing and backpacks resembling food delivery drivers as part of a social media challenge [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5].

Two men on a motorbike approached the group and a gunman shot Gastélum at point-blank range. The attackers fled the scene. No arrests have been reported so far [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5]. The shooting happened near the local prosecutor's office, in the capital city of Sinaloa state [1, 2, 4, 5].

Gastélum was known for comedy and lifestyle videos, often posting about cartel culture and referring to himself as "belico" [3, 4, 7, 5]. Authorities suspect the murder may be linked to Gastélum's social media posts referencing a faction of the Sinaloa cartel and are investigating possible cartel retaliation [2, 6, 8, 9, 10]. Since September 2024, Culiacán and the wider state have faced escalating violence due to a turf war between two Sinaloa cartel factions known as Los Chapitos and Los Mayos [1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 11, 10]. At least 12 social media influencers have been killed in Culiacán amid this violence since late 2024 [2, 5].

The killing draws comparisons to the May 2025 murder of Valeria Márquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer who was shot during a TikTok livestream in Jalisco state. Authorities arrested Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, a criminal cell leader, in connection with that case [1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11].

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned Gastélum's killing and emphasized investigation efforts. She said, "The actual perpetrators, and if applicable the mastermind, must be arrested, and the reason behind this tragic homicide must be uncovered" [2, 4, 6].

TikTok deleted the livestream footage of the shooting, but it circulated online. Police are reviewing CCTV and other evidence related to the case [1, 6, 11, 10, 12].

Authorities continue to investigate to apprehend those responsible and uncover the motive behind the homicide [2, 4, 6].