MEXICAN CITY – A 23-year-old Mexican social media influencer has been shot dead while live streaming on TikTok, the state prosecutor’s office said. Valeria Marquez was killed when a man entered her beauty salon in the city of Guadalajara “and apparently fired a gun at her”, according to the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office.
The motive for the fatal attack has not been identified but the case is being investigated as a femicide, when women and girls are killed because of their gender, the state prosecutor said. Gender-based violence is highly common in Mexico where the UN reports 10 women or girls are murdered every day by partners or family members. Moments before her death, Ms Marquez was sitting at a table holding a stuffed animal at her beauty salon in the suburb of Zapopan doing a livestream. Seconds later, she is shot dead, with the footage only ending when another person picks up her phone to stop the recording. Local media reports say she was killed by a man pretending to bring her a gift. Police arrived at the scene around 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT) and confirmed Ms Marquez’s death, according to the state prosecutor. The prosecutor’s office did not name a suspect. Fans of Ms Marquez, whose social media following totalled nearly 200,000 across TikTok and Instagram, have reacted with horror to her death. Mayor of Zapopan Juan José Frangie said his office had no record of Ms Marquez requesting help from the authorities due to threats against her, adding “a femicide is the worst thing”, according to news agency AFP. The state prosecutor says forensic experts are investigating the shooting.
