‘The Voice’ singer Christina Grimmie is dead. Christina, 22, was meeting with fans backstage following a performance at a Before You Exit at The Plaza Live in Orlando when she was shot. Police have now released the name of the gunman, Kevin James Loibl, who shot and killed himself after shooting Christina. Christina Grimmie came in third place during season 4 of ‘The Voice’ in 2014.
Police were called to the scene of the shooting at approximately 10:24 p.m. on Friday, June 10. The concert had ended at 10:00 p.m. and Christina and Before You Exit band members were signing autographs for fans and selling merchandise, according to Orlando Police Department spokeswomen Wanda Miglio and Michelle Guido.
Upon Christina’s passing the Orlando Police Department shared the sad news on Twitter. “With deep regret, we have confirmed Christina Grimmie, @TheRealGrimmie has died from her injuries.” An outpouring of love and sympathy has come from ‘The Voice’ coaches and fans.
Adam Levine, Christina Grimmie’s coach on ‘The Voice,’ hadn’t yet heard that she had been fatally shot when he posted on Instagram, “adamlevine 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.”
Through Twitter Blake Shelton expressed his shock about Christina. He asked, “Just hearing about this..Is this all true? Anybody know how she’s doing?” Blake tweeted that he was praying for Christina when he found out she was in critical condition.
The official Twitter account for the NBC show issued this statement, “There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice. Our hearts go out to the friends, fans and family of @TheRealGrimmie.”
In the original statement from Orlando Police it was stated that Christina Grimmie was alive at the scene of the crime and was transported to the hospital where she later passed away from the critical injuries. Orlando Police Chief John Mina will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 11 to update the public on the fatal shooting.
Update: Kevin James Loibl has been identified by Orlando police as the person who murdered Christina Grimmie – police tweeted: “Man who shot and killed Christina Grimmie @TheRealGrimmie is Kevin James Loibl… OPD can confirm 27 year old Kevin James Loibl, suspect who shot Christina Grimmie, is from St Petersburg, FL.”
CDL expresses our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Christina Grimmie.