The state prosecutor’s office announced that a gunman shot and killed a 23-year-old Mexican TikTok influencer while she was live streaming on the platform.
The Jalisco state prosecutor’s office said a man walked into Valeria Marquez’s beauty salon in Guadalajara and fired a weapon at her.
The state prosecutor stated that authorities have not yet determined the motive behind the deadly assault but are pursuing the case as a femicide, when perpetrators murder girls and women due to their gender.
The UN identifies that gender-based violence remains extremely prevalent in Mexico, with relatives or partners killing 10 women or girls each day.
Just moments before her murder, Ms. Marquez sat at a table clutching a toy animal inside her beauty shop in Zapopan suburb conducting a livestream.
Within seconds, the attacker kills her, and another individual ends the livestream by taking her phone.
Local news reports indicate she was murdered by a man who was making a fake visit to deliver her a gift.
Police officers reached the site at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT) and verified Ms. Marquez’s death, the state prosecutor said.
The office of the prosecutor did not identify a suspect.
Fans of Ms. Marquez, who followed her on Instagram and TikTok with a combined audience of nearly 200,000, have expressed shock at her demise.
Zapopan Mayor Juan José Frangie explained that his administration had no report of Ms. Marquez having sought assistance from the authorities as a result of threats against her, and that “a femicide is the worst thing,” AFP news agency reported.
Forensic experts are investigating the shooting, according to the state prosecutor.
