You have commented 375 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Caribbean-Latin America
Mexican influencer shot dead at taco shop as social media stars become targets
2026-09-13
[NYP] A Mexican influencer was gunned down at a taco shop this week, the latest in an alarming trend that has seen at least 20 south-of-the-border social media stars executed over the last two years.

Jose Luis Esparza, 37, was shot dead on Thursday as he was working at a taquería in Ciudad Obregón, a city in the northern border state of Sonora.

Esparza went by the monicker “El Putirrí” and was known for creating good-humored content about his daily life on Instagram and TikTok.

The Sonora State Attorney General’s Office said the shooter walked into the restaurant and opened fire on Esparza before he fleeing with an accomplice on a motorcycle.

Esparza was treated on the scene by paramedics and rushed to an area hospital, where he died.

Authorities are now investigating whether a relative’s cartel ties to could have played a role in Esparza’s killing.

The influencer “might have been a collateral target,” Mexican security communications consultant Iván Moile told The Post. “Since he was related to someone deeply involved … It served as a message.”

Esparza is the content creator in Mexico to meet a violent end that could be linked to organized crime.
Posted by:Skidmark

#2  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: NN2N1   2026-09-13 13:01  

#1  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Procopius2k   2026-09-13 12:19  

00:00