A 17-year-old Mexican YouTube star known as the Pirate of Culiacán was shot to death after reportedly insulting a cartel leader, The Washington Post reported.

Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, known for controversial videos that showed him drinking mass amounts of alcohol despite being underage, was shot to death in a barrage of bullets while partying at a bar in Jalisco on December 18, The Washington Post reported. He reportedly was shot between 15 and 18 times. While the identities and motive of his killers remains unclear, the Post reported that authorities have confirmed they are investigating whether there's a link between the shooting and a recent video in which Lagunas Rosales allegedly insulted a known drug lord.

According to The Washington Post, Lagunas Rosales posted a video recently in which he seems to insult Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho. Cervantes is reportedly the leader of the New Generation Cartel of Jalisco. Lagunas Rosales reportedly said “El Mencho a mí me pela la verga," in the video, according to El Pais, which translates roughly to "suck my c*ck." According to the New York Post, the shooting happened shortly after the video was posted. Rolling Stone called the New Generation Cartel Mexico's "fastest-growing and deadliest cartel." Rolling Stone also reports Lagunas Rosales had invited his followers to join him at the bar in a video before the shooting.

According to Rolling Stone, the Mexican newspaper Periodico Supremo wrote about the video that may have resulted in Lagunas Rosales's death, “Así firmó su trato de muerte," which translates to "Thus he signed his deal of death."

In the first 10 months of 2017, there were 20,878 recorded murders in Mexico, according to Reuters. At the time, this year was on track to see more violence than 2011, the deadliest year on record, since the government started publishing this data 20 years ago.

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