Mexico has arrested a man who allegedly shot and killed an influencer during a live broadcast, authorities said on Wednesday. Cesar Gastelum was attacked on Aug. 4 while livestreaming in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, which has been a battleground for warring drug factions. Gastelum, who had more than 500,000 TikTok followers, was dressed as a food delivery worker and taking part in a social media challenge along with two friends when a motorcycle stopped next to him. One of the two riders shot him in the head. Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said the alleged killer was located in the state of Puebla, in central Mexico. During the arrest operation, police officers came under attack by three armed individuals and killed one of them, Harfuch wrote on X. Authorities arrested the suspected killer of Gastelum and another person. Preliminary investigation showed that the influencer’s killing was related to his social media posts “alluding to a faction of a criminal group,” Mexico’s security secretariat said. A sprawling war between the two main factions of the Sinaloa Cartel and associated armed groups has left thousands dead or missing in the northwestern state, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum seeks to contain criminal violence. The cartel was founded by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is now imprisoned in the United States. Culiacan is ground zero for “narco-culture” celebrating the life of drug traffickers, and Mexican media report that social media influencers are often tied to disputing criminal gangs, leading to acts of intimidation or score-settling.
