'The Voice' Singer Christina Grimmie Dies After Being Shot at Orlando Concert

Police say the shooter, who was tackled by Grimmie's brother, shot himself.

ByABC News
June 11, 2016, 5:19 PM

— -- Singer Christina Grimmie, a performer on "The Voice" in 2014, has died after being shot at a concert venue in Orlando, Florida, Friday evening, her rep confirmed early Saturday morning.

She was 22.

The male suspect, identified as Kevin James Loibl, 27, shot himself and is dead, Orlando Police Department public information officer Wanda Miglio said during a press briefing early Saturday morning.

In a statement, Grimmie's rep said, "It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord. She was shot at her show in Orlando and, unfortunately, didn't survive the gun shot wounds. We ask at this time that you respect the privacy of her family and friends in their time of mourning. If you'd like to give back to Christina's family in her memory, please consider donating to the families GoFundMe page in their time of need."

PHOTO: Singer Christina Grimmie performs at Plaza Live Theater in Orlando, Florida, on June 10, 2016. Following the concert, she was shot, and later died. She was 22.
Singer Christina Grimmie performs at Plaza Live Theater in Orlando, Florida, on June 10, 2016. Following the concert, she was shot, and later died. She was 22.

Grimmie and the band Before You Exit were signing autographs and selling merchandise after their show ended at 10 p.m. at Orlando's Plaza Live Theater, when a man carrying two guns walked up to her and shot her, Miglio said, adding it was unclear how the suspect entered the venue with the firearms. She said police responded to a call received at 10:24 p.m. that shots had been fired at Plaza Live Theater.

Miglio said Grimmie's brother, Mark, "immediately tackled the suspect, stopping him from causing any more harm to Christina and her fans. During the struggle, the suspect shot himself. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene....Her brother is a hero for saving and stopping him from not hurting anyone else," said Miglio.

Grimmie posted the YouTube video below in 2011 of herself singing the song "Lonely Day," while her brother is at her side playing the guitar.

In another press briefing Saturday, police said the gunman carried two handguns, loaded magazines and a hunting knife.

He traveled to the concert venue from another part of Florida "to commit this crime," Orlando Police Department Chief John Mina told reporters. There’s no indication that he knew Grimmie personally and investigators are searching his belongings to determine a motive for the shooting, police said.

Concert-goers who had posted footage of Grimmie's performance, like the Instagram user below, expressed shock at hearing about the singer's death after just having watched her on stage.

Police initially said they were unsure where Grimmie was shot, or how many shots were fired. The motive remains unknown.

Orlando police released this statement following confirmation of Grimmie's death by her rep: "With deep regret, Christina Grimme has succumbed to her injuries. We have no additional updates. The investigation is in its preliminary stages. We know there are many questions and we will do our best to answer them as the investigations unfolds."

"The Voice" reacted to news of the New Jersey native's death by changing its Twitter avatar to solid black, and tweeting, "We are heartbroken. @TheRealGrimmie is a loved member of our family. Our thoughts are with her and her family. #PrayForChristina." A subsequent tweet read, "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."

When reports of Grimmie's death first surfaced, #PrayforChristina was the top trending hashtag on Twitter. After her death was confirmed, #RIPChristina became the top trending hashtag as Grimmie's fans took to social media to express an outpouring of grief.

Before You Exit, the band Grimmie performed with, wrote on Twitter that "Christina was such a loving, caring beautiful person."

ABC News' Christopher Donato, Alexandra Faul and Benjamin Stein contributed to this report.