Star of US Voice Christina Grimmie murdered by gunman

A gunman opened fire at a Florida concert venue as Christina Grimmie, a onetime star of the US version of The Voice, signed autographs for fans after a show, killing the performer before fatally shooting himself, officials said yesterday.

Christina Grimmie performs as part of "The Voice Tour" at Cobb Energy Centre, in Atlanta. Picture: AP

Grimmie, a New Jersey native, 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 in a news release yesterday that the 22-year-old singer had performed with the band Before You Exit at The Plaza Live in Orlando. The concert ended 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 between 60 and 100 people were in attendance, though only a handful remained when the shooting happened.

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

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

Grimmie had 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. This just isn’t fair.”

The Voice paid tribute to Grimmie on its official Twitter page: “There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing 
voice.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2014 that Grimmie moved to Los Angeles in 2012 after joining Selena Gomez on tour to focus on her singing career.

“I’m done being surprised by cool things she does. She’s very talented and she’s worked incredibly hard – it’s a dangerous combination,” her brother Mark Grimmie said.