Christina Grimmie has died tragically. The singer was shot outside the Plaza Live venue following a show on Friday night. She was 22 years-old.
She had stayed around the venue after the performance, which was with the band Before You Exit to sign autographs when a gunman appeared and abruptly shot her. Grimmie’s brother, Marcus, quickly tried to subdue the man by tackling him. During the physical struggle, the gunman, who has now been confirmed by authorities as 27 year-old Florida resident Kevin James Loibl, took his own life with the gun.
Police have stated that Marcus’ actions ensured the safety of the other 120 people who were present at The Plaza Live at the time of the shooting. Without the attacker being neutralized so quickly, it is likely that more fatalities could have occurred. Orlando Police Chief John Mina said that Loibl had two handguns, two loaded magazines and a hunting knife on his person at the time of the attack. Grimmie had no personal connection with him. While it is likely that this was a case of a deranged fan of some sort, a motive is still unknown at this time. Mina added that there was no pat-downs of audience members prior to entering the show.
Grimmie was a season six contestant on the hit show, The Voice, and finished in third place during 2014. She first gained recognition on YouTube, garnering millions of views for her covers of hit songs. In the wake of the tragedy, the Twitter account for The Voice has displayed a black box as the profile image memorial.
Truly, this is one of the most tragic events for 2016 in the music world, especially considering that she was such a young talent. Stay tuned for any updates that may arise in the next several days, as this is very much still a fluid story.
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