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Influencer César Gastelum Shot Dead While Livestreaming in Culiacán

Investigators are analyzing livestream footage plus surveillance recordings to determine whether his posts about a cartel faction motivated the killing.

Overview

  • Gastelum was killed while livestreaming with friends outside a fast-food restaurant in Culiacán when two helmeted people on a motorcycle approached and the passenger opened fire.
  • Video of the attack, reviewed by news agencies, shows the motorcycle stopping beside the group and the shooter firing directly at Gastelum before both attackers fled the scene.
  • State and federal authorities launched a major security operation, sealed the scene, collected forensic evidence and removed online copies of the livestream for analysis.
  • Mexico’s Federal Security Cabinet said investigators are probing Gastelum’s prior social posts that referenced a criminal faction as a possible motive, and no arrests have been reported so far.
  • The killing echoes earlier livestream murders of influencers and highlights the risk social-media visibility poses in Culiacán where rival Sinaloa cartel factions have driven sustained public violence.