American Voice singer is shot dead by ‘deranged fan’ after concert
AN AMERICAN singer best known for starring on The Voice television show has died in hospital after being shot after a concert in Florida.
Police said yesterday that Christina Grimmie’s killer appeared to be a deranged fan who had travelled to the venue in Orlando from another city in Florida to confront her.
After opening fire the suspect was tackled by Marcus Grimmie, Christina’s brother, and subsequently shot and killed himself. Police identified the killer as 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl.
Just hours before what would be her last concert, the 22-year-old singer posted a video online to spread the word about the show.
“Hey guys what’s up?” she says, smiling broadly. “We are in Orlando today, please come to the show if you live near Orlando, Florida. We’re at the Plaza Live, please come out!”
Chief John Mina, of the Orlando Police, said yesterday that she was signing autographs and selling merchandise in the venue’s lobby on Friday evening when she was approached by Loibl, who was armed with two handguns.
When officers arrived on the scene just two minutes later, Grimmie and the gunman were dead.
“It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord,” Heather Weiss, her publicist, said in a statement. Grimmie began her singing career as a YouTube star, where she amassed a huge following that grew after finishing third on The Voice in 2014.
Adam Levine, the frontman of rock band Maroon 5, was her coach on the show. He posted a photograph of the two of them on Instagram before her death was announced, saying he was “sad, shocked and confused.” He said: “We love you so much Grimmie.”
She was performing on Friday with the punk band Before You Exit. The show ended at about 10pm and the shooting took place soon afterwards.
Police said there were no metal detectors at the venue and that while the audience’s bags were inspected, they were not patted down for weapons.
Detectives searched Loibl’s phone and computer yesterday, hoping to determine the motive behind the shooting. They said he did not appear to have a criminal record, and did not know Grimmie personally.
Their initial analysis indicated that he was a deranged fan who had arrived in Orlando with two firearms, two additional magazines of ammunition and a large hunting knife.
Mr Mina praised her brother for stepping in. “Very heroic actions by Marcus Grimmie to jump in and definitely could have prevented future loss of life there,” he said.