A Venezuelan influencer who criticized both gangs and allegedly corrupt cops was shot and killed on Monday while livestreaming on TikTok, authorities said. <\/p>\n
Venezuela\u2019s Ministry of Public Safety said in a statement on Instagram that influencer Gabriel Jes\u00fas Sarmiento died in the city of Maracay. <\/p>\n
Sarmiento often criticized criminal groups and alleged corruption in law enforcement through his content online, and the ministry added that his death came shortly after he reported \u201cthreats made against him by members of the GEDOs (Organized Crime Structured Groups, in Spanish) and alleged police officials.\u201d <\/p>\n
Maracay is the capital of Aragua, the region from which the notorious Tren de Aragua gang takes its name, though there is no known connection between the TikToker\u2019s death and the criminal group. <\/p>\n
The ministry also said it assigned the 69th Prosecutor\u2019s Office Against Organized Crime to \u201cinvestigate, identify, and prosecute\u201d those responsible for Sarmiento\u2019s death. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened, what happened?\u201d shouts the man in the recording, followed by a heavy burst of gunfire. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey shot me!\u201d the man then screams. The video ends with the image of two unidentified armed men. Seconds later, the livestream stops and the video ends. <\/p>\n
Sarmiento\u2019s death comes just over a month after another Latin American influencer was killed while livestreaming. Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot and killed in a salon in Jalisco in May, sparking outrage over high rates of femicide in the region. <\/p>\n
Just days before Marquez\u2019s death, another woman \u2013 a mayoral candidate in the state of Veracruz \u2013 was shot dead, also during a livestream, alongside three other people. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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