A suspect has reportedly been arrested in the murder of TikTok influencer Jesús Sarmiento, who was shot and killed while livestreaming after he denounced members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Venezuelan police arrested Pierina Uribarri, who was described as the partner of the alleged gunman, Adrian Romero, Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced via Instagram on Sunday, June 30, according to CBS News.
Uribarri was charged with intentional homicide, criminal association and terrorism.
Arrest warrants have also been issued for Romero and two other alleged accomplices, Wilbert Gonzalez and Gerald Nieto, CBS News reported.
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Sarmiento, 25, was allegedly killed by two gunmen in his home in Maracay, Venezuela, on June 22 while he was in the middle of a TikTok livestream, according to multiple local news outlets. Before his death was captured on camera, a woman could be heard screaming and banging on a door. Sarmiento was also seen asking the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service for help.
After the shooting, Sarmiento could reportedly be heard saying, “They shot me, they shot me,” as blood appeared on the floor. Two armed men were reportedly visible in the livestream.
The woman, who was later identified as Sarmiento’s mother, was wounded in the abdomen, according to El País, which cited local outlets.
The incident came after Sarmiento “had publicly denounced the threats he received from members of GEDOs [organized criminal groups] and alleged police officers,” the attorney general said in a June 23 Instagram post confirming that an investigation into the influencer’s death was underway.
In recent videos on his TikTok account, where he had more than 77,000 followers, Sarmiento spoke about Tren de Aragua’s leader, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero, who is one of the most wanted criminals in Venezuela. He also spoke out against extortion by corrupt law enforcement and shared photos and videos of alleged gang members.
The White House designated Tren de Aragua a “terrorist organization,” with U.S. officials calling the gang a “regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela” that has committed “brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking.”
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Sarmiento’s death is the latest in a chilling string of attacks on social media personalities in recent months.
Earlier in June, 17-year-old Sana Yousaf was shot and killed in her home in Islamabad, Pakistan, by a man who had repeatedly tried to contact her via her social media. She had more than 1 million followers on TikTok. A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder, according to local police.
In May, 23-year-old influencer Valeria Marquez was reportedly shot and killed while livestreaming inside a beauty salon in Jalisco, Mexico. Marquez, whom authorities said was an “active presence and influence on social media,” was pronounced dead at the scene. Prosecutors opened an investigation for “femicide,” as it was presumed to be a gender-related murder.