Another influencer was gunned down over the weekend. As the string of violence against public figures continues, this time, a TikToker from Venezuela lost his life after using his platform to denounce gangs and corruption in his region.
The deceased, Jesus Sarmiento, was fatally shot while streaming live on the platform. Authorities in Venezuela have launched an official investigation into the killing of Sarmiento, who has close to 80,000 followers on TikTok. He was killed while live-streaming from his residence when armed intruders opened fire on him. It appears that the case is tied to his outspoken criticism of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang and police officers, whom he claimed are crooked.
In the chilling footage, which surfaced Monday, viewers can hear a woman banging on a door and screaming for help. Sarmiento, who was filming the inside of his home, says, “They shot me, they shot me.” The footage also captures small pools of blood on the floor. Later in the video, two men appear on screen.
Their weapons are visible, and so are their faces, which might be why one of them seemed to attempt to withdraw from sight. However, the other steps forward and fires multiple rounds before the live stream abruptly cuts off.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab posted on Instagram that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has been directed to “investigate, identify, and punish those responsible for the assassination of Jesus Sarmiento.”
Sarmiento had recently made videos criticising the leader of the Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero, also known as “Niño Guerrero”, in one of his videos. He also boldly exposed alleged gang members by sharing photos of them. Additionally, he accused police officers of extorting citizens in a post.
In one of his final videos, he claimed, “I was kidnapped by… DAET,” which refers to the police’s Directorate of Strategic and Tactical Actions. “We are overrun with delinquent officials who work with common criminals,” Sarmiento added.
This brutal killing marks yet another deadly attack on a social media influencer. Just this month, a 17-year-old Pakistani TikToker, Sana Yousaf, was killed after a man consistently tried to connect with her via social media. Also, influencer Valeria Márquez from Mexico was murdered during a livestream.
