TikTok influencer Valeria Marquez gunned down during livestream
FILE-In this photo illustration, a TikTok logo is displayed on an iPhone. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A social media influencer was killed earlier this week while performing a livestream for her social media followers.
Valeria Marquez was gunned down on May 13 in her salon in Jalisco, Mexico, The New York Post reported, citing El Imparcial.
What happened in the incident?
Dig deeper:
Valeria Marquez was midway through a livestream with her followers when a shooter pulled up outside the Blossom the Beauty Lounge salon and opened fire. The shooter was pretending to deliver a present to Marquez and shot her in the chest and head.
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Some of Marquez’s followers witnessed the shooting during the livestream. Police are currently investigating the case.
In a statement from the Jalisco State Attorney’s Office obtained by USA Today, prosecutors said Marquez’s murder is being investigated as femicide, sometimes called feminicide.
Femicide is described as the killing of women and girls because of their gender, USA Today noted, citing the European Institute for Gender Equality.
Who was Valeria Marquez?
The backstory:
Valeria Marquez was a popular social media influencer well-known for sharing beauty and lifestyle videos. She also shared pictures of herself modeling and traveling.
The 23-year-old had almost 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok and she also worked at the beauty salon where she was murdered.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the USA Today, Reuters, and the New York Post. USA Today obtained a statement from a prosecutor in the case. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.