Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage and the creator’s social media posts as they seek the people responsible for the attack.
CULIACÁN, Mexico — Mexican social media influencer César Gastélum was shot and killed while livestreaming with friends outside a fast-food restaurant in Culiacán on Aug. 4, authorities said, prompting a security operation and an investigation into who carried out the attack and why.
Gastélum, known for comedy videos and livestreams watched by hundreds of thousands of followers, was recording with two friends when two people on a motorcycle approached the group. Video reviewed by news organizations showed one of the people on the motorcycle firing at Gastélum before the pair fled. Authorities have not publicly identified the attackers or announced an arrest.
The shooting occurred at about 8 p.m. in the Tres Ríos area of Culiacán, the capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Gastélum and his companions had been dressed as food delivery workers while making social media content near a fast-food restaurant. Local authorities initially described the person killed as a delivery worker before confirming that the victim was Gastélum.
Mexico’s Security Cabinet said federal officials were working with the Sinaloa state prosecutor’s office to investigate the killing. Officials said investigators were examining surveillance video and other evidence in an effort to identify and arrest those responsible. The review also includes some of Gastélum’s social media posts that referred to a faction of a criminal organization, according to the Security Cabinet.
Authorities have not said those posts caused the attack, and they have not presented evidence showing that Gastélum belonged to a criminal group. No motive had been established publicly by Friday. The investigation into his online activity is one of several lines being examined as officials work to determine whether the shooting was connected to organized crime or another dispute.
President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the case after the killing and said authorities were investigating both the people who directly carried out the attack and whether anyone else ordered it. She said investigators also needed to determine the reason for the homicide. Her comments did not identify a suspect or point to a specific criminal organization as responsible.
The killing happened against a backdrop of persistent violence in Culiacán, which has been affected by fighting between rival organized crime factions. Security forces have repeatedly carried out operations in the city as the conflict has produced shootings, killings and disappearances. Officials have not said whether Gastélum’s death was directly tied to that wider violence.
Gastélum had built a large audience through comedic and lifestyle content on social media. Reuters reported that he had nearly 600,000 TikTok followers at the time of his death, while other reports placed his following above that figure. Footage from the livestream circulated widely online after the shooting even after the original broadcast was halted or removed.
The case drew comparisons to the May 2025 killing of Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, who was shot inside the salon where she worked in Zapopan, Jalisco, while livestreaming. Prosecutors investigated Márquez’s death under femicide protocols. Although both killings involved social media creators who were broadcasting when they were attacked, authorities have announced no evidence linking the two cases.
Investigators in Sinaloa continued reviewing video, digital material and other evidence as of Friday. Authorities had not publicly announced an arrest, identified the people on the motorcycle or confirmed a motive in Gastélum’s killing.
Author note: Last updated August 7, 2026.