The singer was signing autographs when a male suspect approached her with gun and fired at her. Marcus Grimmie, brother of Christina who was present there knocked the male shooter down the ground, after which the man killed himself.
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Christina Grimmie performs in concert at the Bridgestone Arena, in Nashville, Tennessee on October 25, 2013.
The suspected gunman who killed a popular singer in Florida has been identified by police. “She was incredibly talented and she sang from her heart”, said 17-year-old Kaitlin Martin, a fan, who was waiting outside Orlando’s The Plaza Live concert venue Friday night when she heard loud “pops” coming from inside.
Grimmie posted a video hours before her last performance in which she jovially invited fans to see her show.
“I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without her”, Marcus said in his post. Her videos on YouTube have garnered millions of views.
Loibl was tackled by Grimmie’s brother before fatally shooting himself. He has traveled to Orlando from St Petersburg to carry out the killing. They credited the singer’s brother with preventing the gunman from hurting others.
Although the bags and purses of concertgoers were checked for weapons at the venue, there were no metal detectors or body searches at the entrance and the hall’s security guards were unarmed.
The Plaza Live issued a statement extending condolences to the victims and indicating all activities and events have been suspended “until further notice”.
“It does appear that he came here to commit this crime”, Mina said. “I miss you Christina”. They did nothing but love her and support her as family the best they knew how, the only worry I want them to have at this point is that of recovery. There, he shot Grimmie as she was signing autographs for fans after performing.
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Selena Gomez was among the many stars who paid tribute to Christina on social media, sharing a silly picture of them together with the words: “My heart is absolutely broken”.
