Death of Christina Grimmie

Murder of Christina Grimmie
Location	The Plaza Live Orlando, Florida
Date	June 10, 2016 (2016-06-10) 10:24 p.m. (UTC-04:00)
Target	Christina Grimmie
Attack type	Murder-suicide at meet and greet event
Weapon(s)	Handgun
Deaths	2 (victim, perpetrator)
Injured (non-fatal)	none
Perpetrator	Kevin James Loibl
Motive	None offered

On June 10, 2016, American singer and songwriter Christina Grimmie was shot four times by 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl while she signed autographs following her performance with Before You Exit at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. Loibl was tackled by Grimmie's brother, but the gunman broke free, backed against a wall, and shot himself dead. Grimmie was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition;.she later died from her injuries on June 11.Following her death, Grimmie's hometown of Marlton, New Jersey, organized a candlelight vigil to memorialize her on June 13, 2016. Her funeral took place on June 16, 2016, in Medford, New Jersey, followed by a public viewing and memorial both in person and via live stream on June 17, 2016.

Murder

In the immediate aftermath of the news of her death, eyewitnesses and news outlets reported that Grimmie had been shot three to five times, with multiple sources stating Loibl had shot her in the head. Witnesses stated they noted Grimmie on the ground bleeding from a head wound while chest compressions were administrated in an attempt to save the singer's life.

An estimated 120 witnesses were present at the time of the murder. Fan and eyewitness Destiny Rivera posted her account of the murder on her Facebook profile, stating she had stood behind Loibl while waiting to meet Grimmie. She described Loibl in her Facebook post as "nervous", "kinda creepy", and that he "looked like he wanted to be by himself." Rivera also indicated that Grimmie greeted Loibl "with open arms, as she would any of her other friends with such enthusiasm" before he proceeded to open fire on Grimmie. Following Grimmie's murder, Loibl's family posted a handwritten letter on the front door of their home, stating "Deepest sorrow for lost [sic] to the family, friends & fans of the very talented, loving Christina Grimmie. No other commets [sic]."

The Orlando Police Department reported that Loibl did not have an arrest record in his home county, and did not appear to know Grimmie personally. A department spokesman said Loibl had traveled from another city in Florida "apparently to commit this crime", bringing with him two handguns, two extra magazines full of ammunition, and a hunting knife. As of June 13, 2016, no motive has been determined or announced by the Orlando Police Department.

Reaction

Following confirmation of Grimmie's death, The Voice tweeted, "There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice." Her coach, Adam Levine, wrote that he and his wife were "absolutely devastated and heartbroken ... This is yet another senseless act of extreme violence. I am left stunned and confused how these things can conceivably continue to happen in our world." According to a Facebook post made on June 12 by the deceased singer's brother, Marcus Grimmie, Levine personally called their mother to inform him that he would cover the expenses for the flight to transport Grimmie's body to her hometown of Marlton, New Jersey, as well as all funeral costs. Fellow The Voice coaches Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Usher and Pharrell Williams also sent condolences, as did show host Carson Daly. Longtime friend and former tour-mate Selena Gomez wrote, "My heart is absolutely broken. I miss you Christina". Gomez also dedicated her performance of her song "Transfiguration" to Grimmie's memory, stating, "When she was 14, we met her – my parents and I signed her, and one thing about Christina and her family, is that she holds her faith so closely to her. It's not about her religion, and it's not about good deeds. It's just that she had faith. And I don't really understand how this happened, but I would like to dedicate this next song to her." Gomez cancelled her meet-and-greet at a concert in Miami following the murder. Before You Exit, with whom Grimmie had performed before the shooting, tweeted, "Today we lost an angel, sister, and a beloved friend."

Notable stars of the YouTube community, as well as other celebrities, also offered their condolences and messages of grief in the wake of Grimmie's murder. Others expressed their fear following her murder, stating they were in fear for themselves and others due to the lax security precautions surrounding Grimmie's meet and greet.

After the shooting, The Plaza Live suspended all further acts. American heavy metal band Pantera criticized the venue's lack of security and noting the comparison between her murder and the death of former Pantera guitarist Darrell "Dimebag Darrell" Abbott in 2004, urging for stricter precautions to be implicated at concert venues to further prevent such incidents. Event organizer VidCon announced plans to tighten security in the wake of Grimmie's shooting. An industry attorney says metal detectors are expensive and unpopular, "and I understand that hiring experienced security to pat everyone down is also expensive, and fans don't like it. But this is the new reality." UK Festival Summer in the City has announced will be tightening their security as well.

Both Selena Gomez and Bea Miller have cancelled their meet-and-greets for upcoming shows since Grimmie's death, citing fear for their safety.

A GoFundMe was created by Grimmie's manager, Selena Gomez's stepfather Brian Teefey, to cover funeral costs and expenses for the Grimmie family, raising over $170,000 in two days and surpassing its goal of $4,000. It has received over 25,000 shares through social media.

Grimmie's hometown of Marlton, New Jersey, organized a candelight vigil to memorialize her on June 13, 2016. Evesham Township's mayor, Randy Brown, wrote on Facebook, "I'm shocked and saddened by news of Christina Grimmie's death...Christina was one of Evesham's shining stars and a true inspiration to so many young people around the country. We will miss her terribly."

A petition on change.org started by Ian Tan was created to commemorate and honor Grimmie, a fan of the video game series The Legend of Zelda, in the upcoming Legend of Zelda game to be released in 2017 by naming an NPC after her. It has been signed by over 23,000 people, including her brother Marcus.