César Gastélum shot mid-livestream – Screengrab/X Upscaled Grok AIAfter politicians, social media influencers seem to be the new targets of these cartel-like hit-and-runs.A horrifying video going viral online shows a Mexican influencer being shot dead while streaming live on social media.The assassination took place outside a restaurant in Sinaloa state, a state controlled by cartel and gang violence.CBS News reported:“Cesar Gastelum, who had more than 600,000 followers on TikTok, was broadcasting with two friends — all dressed as food delivery workers as part of a challenge.Video circulating online showed a motorcycle carrying two people pull up beside them. In the recording of the livestream, seen by the Reuters news agency, the driver of the motorcycle appeared to fire a gun directly at Gastelum.”Watch: César Gastélum shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle outside a restaurant in Sinaloa while live-streaming fast-food deliveries. | El influencer mexicano César Gastélum fue asesinado a tiros la noche del martes por pistoleros en motocicleta afuera de un KFC en Culiacán, Sinaloa, mientras transmitía en directo entregando pedidos en Kick. pic.twitter.com/rN5u66qGBz— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) August 5, 2026Associated Press reported:“Mexico’s Security Cabinet and local prosecutors said an investigation was ongoing, and that it appeared Gastélum had released some videos in which he ‘alluded to a faction of a criminal group’.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told journalists during her morning news conference on Wednesday that the ‘perpetrators must be arrested. We must find out why this deplorable homicide occurred’, she said.Gastélum had more than 650,000 followers on TikTok, and more on Instagram and other social media platforms and would regularly post comedy videos and content layered over Mexican regional music. He at times referred to himself in his videos as ‘bélico’, a term often used in subcultures in Mexico to imply a connection to cartel culture.”Last year, another Mexican influencer, Valeria Marquez, was shot dead at a beauty salon in Jalisco during a livestream on TikTok, where she had tens of thousands of followers.Prosecutors said the crime appeared to be the work of a hit man and that Marquez had expressed fear before being killed. Influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream in Jalisco Influencer es asesinada en vivo durante transmisión en TikTok en Jalisco#JusticeForMariaMartinez #TikTokLiveMurder #ViolenceInMexico #JaliscoCrisis #DigitalInsecurity #OrganizedCrime #NoMoreSilence #FreedomOfSpeech… pic.twitter.com/Spv2Pyw6pV— Gateway Hispanic (@GatewayHispanic) May 16, 2025Read more:Influencer Valeria Márquez is Murdered live in Jalisco, Sparking Cartel Rumors, Alleged Romantic Links, and Growing Public Pressure on Authorities/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i