Overview
- Gastélum was killed during a livestream on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in a KFC parking lot in Culiacán after two helmeted people on a motorcycle pulled up and the driver fired at him, footage reviewed by Reuters shows.
- State and federal security forces launched a major operation at the scene, sealed evidence, collected shell casings and removed the body as forensic teams began analyzing video and other material.
- Mexico’s Federal Security Cabinet said investigators are examining whether Gastélum’s posts referenced a criminal faction, and President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded arrests of the perpetrators and any masterminds.
- No suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced as the probe continues to review livestream footage, CCTV and social-media accounts.
- The killing revives concerns about a pattern of on-camera attacks on creators in Sinaloa, where violent turf battles between cartel factions have surged since 2024 and have previously led to high-profile livestream murders and criminal arrests.