Death of Christina Grimmie

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. Grimmie was taken to the Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition; she died on June 11. According to eyewitnesses and news outlets, Grimmie was shot three to five times, with at least one bullet entering her skull, before being subdued. 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.

An estimated 120 witnesses were present at the time of the murder, including of fans, family, and venue employees. According to eyewitness Josh Call, who was working outside The Plaza Live at a hot dog stand, "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." 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. 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. One news publication, the Santa Monica Observer, alleges that sources reveal the murder is being investigated as a hate crime by the Orlando Police Department, 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. 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." 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." 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". Before You Exit, with whom Grimmie had performed before the shooting, tweeted, "Today we lost an angel, sister, and a beloved friend."