Difference between revisions of "Death of Christina Grimmie"

Revision as of 17:57, 13 June 2016

On June 10, 2016, American singer and songwriter Christina Grimmie was shot 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 then fatally shot himself after being tackled by Grimmie's brother Marcus.^[1][a] Grimmie was taken to the Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition; she died on June 11.^[3] According to eyewitnesses and news outlets, Grimmie was 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. Following her death, a third party hacked into Grimmie's Twitter account and posted a tweet stating "The end." It was removed shortly after. ^[4]

An estimated 120 witnesses were present at the time of the murder, including of fans, family, and venue employees. Eyewitness Josh Call, who was working outside The Plaza Live at a hot dog stand, said, "I walked into the main room and there was a man doing compressions on a girl who was one of the performers. I looked over to the right and a gentleman was face down with blood everywhere and it looked like he had shot this girl and killed himself." When asked what injuries he witnessed Grimmie to have sustained, he responded with "injuries you do not want to see again."^[5] Following 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.^[6] 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]."^[7]

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.^[8] A department spokesman said Loibl had traveled from another city in Florida "apparently to commit this crime",^[b] bringing with him two handguns, two extra magazines full of ammunition, and a hunting knife.^[9] As of June 13, 2016, no motive has been determined or announced by the Orlando Police Department. One news publication, the Santa Monica Observer, alleges that sources revealed the murder is being investigated by the Orlando Police Department as a hate crime, stating that Grimmie was killed due to her Christian faith. The Observer further claimed that Loibl grew obsessed with Grimmie and her religion, posting "insane rantings" about the singer online.^[10] However, no statement provided by the Orlando Police Department or by investigators working on the case has been given to verify or substantiate the allegations made by the Santa Monica Observer.

Reaction

Following confirmation of Grimmie's death, The Voice tweeted, "There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice."^[11] 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."^[12] According to a Facebook post made on June 12th 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.^[13] Fellow The Voice coaches Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Usher and Pharrell Williams also sent condolences, as did show host Carson Daly.^[14] 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.^[15][c] Before You Exit, with whom Grimmie had performed before the shooting, tweeted, "Today we lost an angel, sister, and a beloved friend."^[18]

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."^[19]

Notable stars of the YouTube community also offered their condolences and messages of grief in the wake of Grimmie's murder. Among them were YouTubers Shane Dawson, Phil Lester, Markiplier, Zoe Sugg, Emma Blackery, Jenna Marbles, PewDiePie, iJustine, and Sam Tsui. Dawson, a long time friend of Grimmie's, first posted a photo of the two together on his Facebook stating "please take a moment to pray for Christina Grimmie. My heart is broken. I love her so much" when news of the shooting broke. Upon hearing of her death, he posted an image of Grimmie, captioned with "I love you so much Christina. Your spirit, your talent, your kindness, none of it will ever be forgotten. you were one of my very favorite people." On June 13, 2016, Dawson released a video titled "Losing a Friend", discussing his feelings after Grimmie's death. Many YouTubers, such as Tyler Oakley, Anthony Padilla of Smosh, Franchesca Ramsey, and Troye Sivan 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.^[20]

Aftermath

Words cannot begin to describe the pain I am feeling. I learned this business through the eyes of a father and Christina was like a second daughter to me. All I wanted to do was assist her in achieving her musical dreams while protecting her from the pitfalls associated with the business. I never could have imagined this horrific event being one of the pitfalls needing to be avoided...Grimms I love you, and miss you beyond comprehension.

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 11,000 people, including her brother Marcus.^[23]

References