
Venezuelan influencer who criticized gangs and police shot dead during TikTok livestream
CNN
A Venezuelan influencer who criticized both gangs and allegedly corrupt cops was shot and killed on Monday while livestreaming on TikTok, authorities said.
A Venezuelan influencer who criticized both gangs and allegedly corrupt cops was shot and killed on Monday while livestreaming on TikTok, authorities said. Venezuela’s Ministry of Public Safety said in a statement on Instagram that influencer Gabriel Jesús Sarmiento died in the city of Maracay. 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 “threats made against him by members of the GEDOs (Organized Crime Structured Groups, in Spanish) and alleged police officials.” 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’s death and the criminal group. CNN has reached out to police in Aragua for comment. The ministry also said it assigned the 69th Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime to “investigate, identify, and prosecute” those responsible for Sarmiento’s death.













