22-year-old Christina Grimmie was shot by an unnamed gunman late Friday night, after a concert at Orlando’s Plaza Live theater. The singer had just finished performing with the band Before You Exit and was signing autographs in the lobby.
Grimmie’s brother tackled the assailant, who CNN reports was carrying two firearms. The perpetrator then shot himself in the ensuing scuffle. Grimmie was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and died a few hours later.
Grimmie was a contestant on Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice, where she was coached by Adam Levine, who posted this to Instagram before Grimmie’s death was confirmed:
The Voice also posted support:
Information about the shooter is being released piecemeal as investigators search his phone and belongings, but he is reportedly a 21-year-old white man who is not a resident of central Florida. The gunman traveled some distance to commit his crime.
Before becoming a star on The Voice, Grimmie already had a following of 2 million on YouTube, and her comfort on stage found her a place on the show:
This clip shows Grimmie’s last performance with Before You Exit:
Early Saturday morning, her Twitter account pinned this:
