Víctor Valverde Out of Danger After Culiacán Tai Pak Shooting; Man Killed Is Identified as José Guadalupe, Not ‘Rubén’
Víctor Valverde, the young voice of the corrido “El Mayor de los Ranas,” is out of danger after being shot in the left shoulder inside Culiacán’s Tai Pak restaurant on Thursday night, Noroeste reported on Sept. 25. The man killed in the attack in the Tres Ríos district has now been identified as José Guadalupe. Earlier reports, including one cited in our first story on the attack, had named him as Rubén “N.”
Who was killed and wounded
Culiacán outlets Noroeste and Línea Directa reported on Sept. 25 that the dead man was José Guadalupe. Línea Directa put his age at about 30 and said relatives went to identify him on Thursday night. Both outlets list a Rubén Alberto, 24, among the wounded rather than the dead. El Financiero’s first report on Thursday night, citing preliminary information from Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat, had named the dead man as Rubén “N.”
According to those two outlets, Valverde was wounded along with a 72-year-old woman, María Isabel, and five men aged 20 to 24. Línea Directa said it was unknown whether any were with the singer or simply caught in the gunfire.
Valverde’s condition
Noroeste’s daily security report said Valverde is out of danger. Vanguardia reported on Sept. 25 that he was stable and under observation. It said that authorities and people close to the singer had denied social media rumors that he had died. In a separate story, Noroeste said no authority had yet given official details on the attack, those responsible or the condition of the wounded.
Diners hid in the kitchen
Infobae reported on a video shared online after the attack. It shows two people praying and narrating from inside the restaurant: “There’s a tremendous shootout, we’re asking for prayer for all of Culiacán.” The speaker says they are hiding in the Tai Pak kitchen with other customers.
NoroesteTV’s report from the scene:
Hours before the attack, Infobae reported, Valverde posted a video of himself at home singing “Algobierno,” his newest single with Beto Vega. Infobae noted that, unlike his earlier corridos about an armed group, this song casts the National Guard and the army as the ones carrying weapons. No outlet has reported any link between the song and the attack.
No arrests
As of Sept. 25, no one had been arrested. Infobae and Línea Directa reported that Sinaloa’s Attorney General’s Office is investigating whether anyone in the restaurant was the direct target. Noroeste counts 3,892 homicides in Sinaloa between Sept. 9, 2024, when fighting broke out between the Guzmán and Zambada factions, and Sept. 23, 2026.
Línea Directa TV’s report:
Sources
- Noroeste, “Identifican al hombre asesinado durante ataque armado en restaurante del Desarrollo Tres Ríos de Culiacán,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Noroeste, “Informe diario: ataque armado en restaurante del Tres Ríos…,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Línea Directa, “José Guadalupe es el fallecido en ataque armado en restaurante de comida china del Tres Ríos,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- El Financiero, “Ataque directo a un restaurante chino en Culiacán deja un muerto y seis heridos,” Sept. 24–25, 2026.
- Vanguardia, “Víctor Valverde: ¿quién es el cantante de corridos tumbados herido en ataque en Culiacán?,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Infobae, “Surge video del ataque armado que hirió a Víctor Valverde en TaiPak de Culiacán,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Video: NoroesteTV, Línea Directa TV (YouTube), Sept. 24–25, 2026.
- Photos: Brayan Beltrán, via Línea Directa; Noroeste, Sept. 25, 2026.
Reported Sept. 25, 2026, from the Mexican press accounts above. The Narco Blog did not independently verify them. Names and ages of the victims come from local media and differ slightly between outlets; no motive or target has been officially established.