Mexico: Influencer killed by a gunshot to the head live on TikTok

A Mexican influencer was shot dead Tuesday night outside a restaurant where he was doing a live TikTok broadcast, in the state of Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico.

César Gastelum, who had more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, was broadcasting his live stream alongside two friends, disguised as food delivery men as part of a challenge, when two individuals on a motorcycle stopped beside them and the driver shot him in the head before driving off.

The images were immediately taken down on social media and subsequently removed from the platform. However, some news sites retained part of the video and published footage of the attack.

Initial reports from local police indicated the death of a delivery driver, but thanks to the recording and several witness statements, the victim was later identified as César Gastelum, who, according to the press, was around 25 years old and broadcast lifestyle content.

The attack took place in a busy commercial area, located near the Sinaloa prosecutor's office headquarters in Culiacán, the state capital.

Military personnel and police officers were deployed while forensic agents collected evidence before removing the young man's body, according to images broadcast by local television stations.

This district has been troubled for two years by the infighting of a powerful local cartel.

According to local press, around ten influencers, some of whom are allegedly linked to criminal gangs, have been murdered in recent years in the state of Sinaloa.