Venezuelan influencer Gabriel Jesús Sarmiento was murdered in the early hours of Monday while livestreaming on TikTok from his residence in Maracay, Aragua state.
The young man, known for publicly denouncing criminal gangs and corrupt officials, was attacked by armed individuals who broke into his home while he was speaking in front of the camera, capturing the exact moment he was gunned down. The shocking event has shaken Venezuela and thousands of users on social media.
During the livestream, Sarmiento had requested help from the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin), providing his address and highlighting threats he had received due to his denunciations.
In the video, which quickly went viral, two men can be seen entering his room, one of them shoots him multiple times and, after an abrupt cut, a woman can be heard screaming desperately: "Help, they killed him."
Sarmiento had become an influential figure for his courageous work as a digital whistleblower, focusing his content on exposing the impunity with which criminal groups such as El Tren de Aragua and El Tren del Llano operate.
In his latest videos, he had directly accused police officers of collaborating with these gangs and had mentioned by name several officials allegedly linked to organized crime.
He had even verbally confronted during the livestream the leader of El Tren de Aragua, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias "El Niño Guerrero," indirectly holding him responsible for threats received since his father's death.
In one of his comments, the influencer stated: "We are full of criminal officials who work with common criminals (...) They walk freely while I live in hiding."
