TikTok star Cesar Gastelum shot dead in shocking livestreamed execution

Mexican TikTok celebrity with 600,000 followers shot on livestream

The incident took place on Tuesday in the northwestern city of Culiacan, as two individuals in motorbikes drove up to him and his friends to open fire. 

Culiacan, capital city of Sinaloa, is known for being a primary drug centre in Mexico. 

Drug fueled violence between rival factions of Sinaloa cartels has caused escalating brutality, involving civilians altogether. 

Violence in the region erupted in 2024, as a cartel leader was abducted by the son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, a prominent former cartel leader in all of the country. 

The recent murder of Cesar Gastelum echoes the 2025 killing of Valeria Marquez, a social media beauty influencer at the time.

Valeria Marquez was shot dead during a livestream on TikTok at the salon she worked in the western city of Zapopan.

In July 2025, local authorities arrested Alvarez Ayala for the Valeria Marquez murder. 

Ayala was promptly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), where he was known as “El R-1”, to which he was linked with the assassination of Uruapan Mayor, Carlos Manzo. 

Nevertheless, ongoing violence between rival factions have caused more and more harm to civilians. 

Cesar Gastelum’s murder is nothing short of a reminder of erupting violence within the country.