MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The drive-by shooting death of a Mexican influencer may have been in retaliation for social media posts about a criminal group, authorities said Wednesday.

Gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead Cesar Gastelum late Tuesday during a livestreamed broadcast in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, which has been a battleground for warring drug factions.

Gastelum was dressed as a food distributor alongside two friends as part of a social media challenge to his over 500,000 TikTok followers. His audience watched as a motorcycle came to a stop alongside him and one of the two men riding shot him in the head.

The video — later removed by content moderators – was also recorded on security cameras.

“The lines of investigation include numerous publications, some of which refer to a criminal group,” Mexico’s Security Cabinet posted on X, referring to online posts, without providing further details.

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.

The beauty and fashion influencer Valeria Marquez was murdered during a livestream in May 2025 in the western state of Jalisco. Authorities tied her killing to her ex-boyfriend, the son of a powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

In May 2017, an influencer known as “the Pirate of Culiacan” was shot dead days after publishing a video where he mentioned Nemesio Oseguera, or “El Mencho,” the leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel who was killed in a shootout with Mexican special forces in February.