Shooter kills US Voice star, 22

CHRISTINA Grimmie, who starred on the US version of The Voice, has died after being shot at a Florida concert venue as she signed autographs for fans.

Grimmie’s publicist Heather Weiss said that “we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord”.

Grimmie, from New Jersey, finished third during season six of NBC’s The Voice in 2014, competing on the team of Maroon 5 star Adam Levine.

She began amassing a following on YouTube as a teenager, gripping online viewers with her powerful renditions of hit songs. Her videos on YouTube have garnered millions of views.

Police said that the 22-yearold singer performed with the band Before You Exit at The Plaza Live in Orlando.

The concert ended at around 10pm, and Grimmie was shot as she signed autographs for fans at a merchandise table.

Grimmie’s brother immediately tackled the gunman, who then shot and killed himself during the struggle, police said.

The gunman was not identified and police have not said why he attacked the singer. An investigation is ongoing but police credited the singer’s brother with preventing the gunman from hurting others.

Sergeant Wanda Miglio said during a news conference after the shooting that about 60 to 100 people were in attendance, though only a handful remained when the shooting happened.

Ms Miglio said she did not know what security was like at the venue, or how the gunman got two guns inside. She also said she did not know if offduty officers were working at the concert.

“It was just a casual event,” she said.

Grimmie posted a video of herself shortly before the concert was scheduled to begin, encouraging fans to come and see her perform.

Levine posted a photo of himself with Grimmie on Instagram, commenting before her death was confirmed: “I’m sad, shocked and confused.

“We love you so much Grimmie. We are all praying hard that you can pull through this ... this just isn’t fair.”

The Voice paid tribute to Grimmie on its official Twitter page.

It said: “There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice.”