The Voice Singer Christina Grimmie Fatally Shot At Her Concert
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Tragic news this morning: Christina Grimmie, a singer and former contestant on The Voice, was shot and killed at her concert in Orlando Friday night. The Washington Post reports that a gunman approached Grimmie while she and her band were signing autographs after her performance opening for Before You Exit at Orlando venue Plaza Live.
According to Orlando police, the suspect “walked toward Christina and shot her. Christina’s brother immediately tackled the suspect stopping him from causing any more harm to Christina and her fans. During the struggle, the suspect shot himself. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.” Reuters reports that Grimmie was as taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died from her injuries early on Saturday morning.
Grimmie gained viral fame singing on YouTube before appearing on The Voice in 2014, where she placed third with Adam Levine as her coach. Earlier this year she released an EP called Side A. She was a spokesperson for animal rights in cooperation with the Human Society of the United States.
Police have not identified the suspect or a motive for the shooting, but a press conference is scheduled for 11AM this morning at Plaza Live. A representative for Grimmie confirmed that “Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord.” She was 22 years old.
UPDATE: Orlando police have revealed the suspect was a 27-year-old white male not local to Orlando. He was carrying two handguns and a hunting knife. Police are searching the suspect’s home, car, phone, and computer to identify a motive. They expect to release his name in a few hours.
Detectives are looking at his phone and computer and hope to identify a motive. His name will be released later pic.twitter.com/FF7lNiNxY6
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 11, 2016
UPDATE 2: Police have identified the Grimmie’s killer as Kevin James Loibl, a 27-year-old white male from St. Petersberg, Florida.
OPD can confirm 27 year old Kevin James Loibl, suspect who shot Christina Grimmie, is from St Petersburg, FL pic.twitter.com/iN6RUi3VRx
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 11, 2016
UPDATE 3: Billboard points out that Plaza Live has shared a statement about the shooting on Facebook and that all events at the venue “have been suspended until further notice.” Here is the full statement:
Like everyone else in the community, the board and staff at the Plaza Live Venue are deeply saddened by the tragic events of Friday evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost as well as those who witnessed and aided in the recovery after this senseless act.
We are closely working with The Orlando Police Department on this active law enforcement investigation and therefore necessarily defer specific questions to OPD’s Public Information Officer.
All activities and events at the Plaza Live Venue have been suspended until further notice. Grief counselors will be provided to the involved staff and we will be partnering with our concert promoter to support the artists and their families as appropriate. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and support during this traumatic time.
There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice. Our hearts go out to the friends, fans and family of @TheRealGrimmie.
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) June 11, 2016
A photo posted by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on
