Last night, Christina Grimmie, a contestant on NBC's singing competition, The Voice, was shot and killed after performing at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. According to the Associated Press, the 22-year-old singer was singing autographs when an as-yet-unidentified shooter opened fired in the venue, injuring Grimmie. After Grimmie's brother tackled him, the gunman committed suicide.
"We can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord," Grimmie's publicist, Heather Weiss, told the AP.
Grimmie first came to prominence for her covers of popular songs like David Guetta's "Titanium" and "Stay" by Rihanna on Youtube. In 2014, she successfully auditioned for The Voice, where she came in third place with the backing of Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine. Eager to achieve national fame, the singer/songwriter was in Florida opening for local band Before You Exit, and had earlier in the day called on fans to come see her perform.
Orlando police have yet to determine the gunman's motivation for killing Grimmie, saying in a statement that the investigation is still "in its preliminary stages" and declining to release the gunman's identity. "Christina was a talented young artist and we know that her fans and supporters want as much information as possible," the OPD wrote in a statement. "We will continue to update as the investigation unfolds."