Who was Fedra Gaxiola? Instagram model and influencer shot dead outside gym in Tijuana

Popular influencer and model Fedra Gaxiola (real name Fedra Oded Gaxiola Orozco) was fatally shot in broad daylight outside on Thursday, November 5, 2024. Citing local authorities, National World reported that the incident happened outside Hardcore Fitness Gym in the López Lucio neighborhood of Tijuana, Mexico.

Per National World, the shooting took place around 8:35 A.M., and the perpetrator shot through the open windows of the influencer's black Mercedes Benz and quickly fled the scene. Emergency authorities rushed Orozco to the hospital, where it was declared that she had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.

Bystanders told cops that the suspect drove off in a grey Chevrolet HHR. Per an article by Dexerto, several eyewitnesses claimed more than one person was involved in the crime. However, homicide prosecutor Miguel Ángel Gaxiola Rodríguez told the publication that their investigation suggested it was one person who specifically targeted Fedra Gaxiola.

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This was not the first time Fedra Gaxiola was shot at

Fedra Gaxiola was a rising influencer and model who frequently shared content surrounding her daily life and her work with various sportswear and beauty brands. Her biography on Instagram reads, "Fitness Girl." In November, she last modeled for a Tijuana-based apparel brand called 'Fleur Sport Clothing.'

She amassed over 225,000 followers on TikTok and over 140,000 followers on Instagram. Both accounts have been restricted to followers since her murder.

This is not the first time the influencer was shot at. Gaxiola hails from the state of Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico, a region known to have a strong influence of drug cartels. According to reports by O Globo 100 and Metropoles, in 2011, Gaxiola survived a shooting attack while inside a BMW in the Hipódromo neighborhood. Her then-boyfriend, who was also in the car, did not survive.

Per the two publications, in August 2024, Fedra Gaxiola took to her social media to state that she was a victim of domestic violence. The 24-year-old model claimed that her ex-boyfriend, former Tijuana Municipal Police Director Héctor Villegas, physically assaulted her.

According to O Globo 100, just days before her murder, Orozco shared an Instagram story where she alleged that an armed man approached her. She claimed that the man was Villegas' bodyguard.

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Fedra Gaxiola's death comes just months after another TikToker and model was shot outside a gym in Mexico. The incident took place outside Beats Fitness Centre in Santa Cruz Buenavista.

Vielka Pulido and her boyfriend, Joel Abraham Chavez, were walking toward their vehicle when a gunman pulled up next to their car and opened fire. While both Pulido and Chavez died, authorities believe the latter was the intended victim.

Local authorities have launched a manhunt for Fedra Gaxiola's killer. No arrests have been made at the time of this writing.