Mexican Influencer César Gastélum Shot Dead During Livestream from Sinaloa

César Gastélum was streaming video from outside a KFC in Culiacán, a city in Sinaloa state, when he was gunned down on Tuesday. A young influencer was fatally shot by a motorcyclist as he was streaming video to his followers in a city at the center of Mexico’s cartel wars on Tuesday night. The influencer, César Gastélum, whose comedy videos had gained him more than half a million followers on TikTok, was dressed as a fast-food worker as he and two friends completed a social media challenge outside a KFC restaurant in the city of Culiacán, in the southwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. Gastélum, who local news outlets have said was 24, died at the scene. Experts say that Mexican cartels are increasingly targeting influencers, who can be caught up in violence after they post content that praises or refers to one group, sparking the anger of another.

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