Mexican influencer shot dead during a live broadcast on TikTok.

The young Mexican influencer, Valeria Marquez, aged 23, was killed by an unknown gunman during a live broadcast on the "TikTok" app, sparking widespread anger and shock in Mexico, which is facing high rates of violence against women. The incident took place in the city of Zapopan in the state of Jalisco, west of the country, inside the beauty salon "Blossom - The Beauty Lounge" owned and managed by Marquez, where she was live streaming to her approximately 200,000 social media followers. According to the recorded footage, Marquez appeared in the broadcast hugging a doll and speaking with a smile, before expressing concern: "They are coming," then a voice is heard calling her from behind, she responds, and then the sound of three gunshots is heard, one hitting her chest, followed by two shots to the head, causing her to fall to the ground as she tried to press on her wound. Ambulance teams rushed to the scene immediately after the incident, but her death was announced at the crime scene, with local media reporting that the perpetrator entered the salon and shot Marquez from close range, then fled on a motorcycle before the police arrived. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Jalisco announced an investigation into the incident under the framework of "femicide," a special category of crimes where the motive is considered to be gender-based violence. The investigations will also consider possible backgrounds related to previous threats or personal relationships. Marquez had mentioned during the broadcast a stranger who had visited the salon in her absence and left her a "valuable gift," indicating that she did not want to meet him if he returned, opening up speculations about the connection of this person to the crime. This incident comes at a time when Mexico is classified among the countries with the highest rates of femicide in Latin America, recording a rate of 1.3 crimes per 100,000 women in 2023, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Jalisco state ranks sixth in terms of the number of homicides, with 906 crimes since October 2024. As of the preparation of this report, the authorities have not disclosed the identity of the suspect, while security operations continue, amid demands from human rights and popular movements to take decisive measures to protect women and hold perpetrators of violence against them accountable.