Suspect in Cesar Gastelum TikTok Shooting Death During Kick Livestream Arrested

Mexican authorities have arrested Jesús Alberto “N.” in Puebla, identifying him as one of two men involved in the fatal shooting of TikTok and Kick creator César Gastélum during a livestream outside a KFC in Culiacán, Sinaloa. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced the detention on August 26, more than three weeks after the August 4 killing.

Gastélum, a 25-year-old content creator known online as César Gastélum or Cesarín, had built more than 500,000 TikTok followers with comedy skits, lifestyle videos, and regional humor. He also streamed on Kick. On the night of August 4, he and two friends were outside a KFC in Culiacán’s Tres Ríos area, dressed as food-delivery workers for a social-media challenge. Footage from the Kick stream, later reviewed by outlets including Reuters and AP, showed a motorcycle with two helmeted riders circling the area. Gastélum voiced unease, saying something to the effect of

“Those kids scare me, man.”

The motorcycle returned; one rider fired at close range. Gastélum collapsed and died at the scene. His companions were unharmed. Local authorities confirmed the death by gunshot.

Intelligence work by Mexico’s National Intelligence Center tracked Jesús Alberto “N.” to Puebla. During the operation, three armed men allegedly attacked investigators. Officers returned fire, killing one attacker and arresting two, including the suspect. Authorities seized three firearms, ammunition, and vehicles. Harfuch stated investigations continue

“to identify and capture everyone involved,” adding there would be “no impunity.”

The federal Attorney General’s Office has taken over the case.

Authorities are examining Gastélum’s social-media activity, noting posts that appeared to allude to a faction of a criminal group amid the ongoing internal conflict within the Sinaloa Cartel. No official finding has established that Gastélum was a cartel member or that a specific group ordered the killing. The judicial process remains open; Jesús Alberto “N.” is an arrested suspect, not a convicted perpetrator. The second alleged shooter and any organizers remain at large.