Mexican influencer Gastélum was shot and killed by motorcycle riders during a livestream, possibly related to his social media posts mentioning a certain criminal group.
Mexico's Security Cabinet posted on the social media platform X stating that the investigation is looking into several of Gastélum's social media posts, some of which mentioned a criminal group.
However, authorities did not provide further details.
The shooting occurred on the evening of the 4th, in the parking lot outside a fast-food restaurant in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.
Gastélum and two friends were pretending to be food delivery workers as part of a social media game challenge, while simultaneously livestreaming to more than 500,000 TikTok followers. Fans witnessed a motorcycle pulling up next to him, and then one of the two riders shot him in the head.
The incident was also recorded by public CCTV cameras; the livestream footage was later removed by TikTok content moderators.
According to Agence France-Presse, fierce fighting between two major factions within the local Sinaloa drug cartel and associated armed groups has caused thousands of people to be killed or disappear in northwestern Mexico.
The Sinaloa cartel was founded by leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who is currently serving his sentence in the United States.