Corrido Star Víctor Valverde, Voice of ‘El Mayor de los Ranas,’ Shot in Culiacán Restaurant Attack That Left 1 Dead and 7 Wounded
Víctor Valverde, the young Sinaloa singer behind the viral corrido “El Mayor de los Ranas,” was shot in the left shoulder on Thursday night, Sept. 24. Gunmen opened fire inside the Tai Pak restaurant in Culiacán’s Tres Ríos district. One person was killed and seven were wounded, Valverde among them, according to reports by Milenio, El Financiero and La Silla Rota (all Sept. 25).
What happened
Milenio reported that several armed men entered the Chinese restaurant on Boulevard Enrique Sánchez Alonso, one of the city’s busiest commercial strips, at about 7:50 p.m. Dozens of people were eating there, and the gunmen fired at them. Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat said interagency units deployed and had the scene under control before 10 p.m. The Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office is investigating.
El Financiero identified the dead man only as Rubén “N,” 24. Six men and one woman were wounded, according to Milenio. Infobae put the number of wounded at six. As of Friday morning, the outlets reported no arrests and no account of how many attackers there were.
Video from the scene
Milenio’s report on the attack and on Valverde, who was among the wounded:
Imagen Noticias aired footage that it says shows diners taking cover and praying inside the restaurant after the gunmen came in:
Luz Noticias, a Culiacán outlet, reporting from the scene:
Valverde’s condition
La Silla Rota reported that Valverde was taken to a hospital and that his wound did not appear to be life-threatening. El Financiero said his condition had not been officially disclosed. As of Friday morning, Milenio reported, he had not commented publicly.
None of the outlets reported any official indication that the singer was the target. They also cited nothing tying the attack to his music.
Who he is
According to Infobae, Valverde is 21 (El Financiero says 22). He was born in Eldorado, Sinaloa, and grew up in Culiacán. His 2024 song with JR Torres, “El Mayor de los Ranas,” spent 19 weeks on Billboard’s charts, and Infobae reports more than 488 million Spotify streams for it. Billboard named him one of its artists to watch in 2026.
In a separate report, Infobae said the song’s lyrics match the history of “Los Ranas,” an armed cell that journalists have tied to the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Infobae also reported that Valverde has said the song arose spontaneously and does not portray real groups.
Valverde on stage with Grupo Marca Registrada, performing “El Mayor de los Ranas” live (RB Music):
Valverde in an interview with regional-Mexican music host Pepe Garza about the song’s success:
Official accounts: Instagram @victor_valverdeoficial · YouTube @Victorvalverdeoficial
Official video for “El Mayor de los Ranas” (Vim Music):
Sources
- Milenio, “Caso Víctor Valverde: cronología del ataque en Culiacán,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- El Financiero, “Hieren a Víctor Valverde, cantante de ‘El mayor de los ranas’ durante ataque en restaurante de Culiacán,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- La Silla Rota, “Víctor Valverde, cantante de ‘El Mayor de los Ranas’, herido en ataque,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Infobae, “Quién es Víctor Valverde, el cantante de corridos que conquistó las listas Billboard…,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Infobae, “De qué habla ‘El Mayor de los Ranas’…,” Sept. 25, 2026.
- Video: Milenio, Imagen Noticias, Luz Noticias, RB Music, Pepe Garza (YouTube), Sept. 24–25, 2026.
- Photos: Agencia México, via Contramuro, Sept. 25, 2026.
Reported Sept. 25, 2026, from the Mexican press accounts above. The Narco Blog did not independently verify them. Casualty counts and the singer’s age differ slightly between outlets, and no motive has been officially established.