Former The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie was reported dead due to injuries caused by a shot fired while she was signing autographs following her concert in Orlando, Florida, on Friday night.
Grimmie, along with pop/punk band Before You Exit were selling merchandise and signing autographs for fans at the Plaza Live Theater when a man approached her and shot her. Grimmie's brother tackled the man who then turned the gun on himself.
After the shooting, the singer was immediately brought to the Orlando Regional Medical Center but her injuries were too severe. The shooter, who remains unidentified, fatally shot himself. It is still unclear if Grimmie and the man, who was carrying two guns, knew each other. The motive of the crime is also unknown and is currently under investigation.
"It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord," said Heather Weiss, Grimmie's publicist, CNN reported. "We ask at this time that you respect the privacy of her family and friends in their time of mourning."
Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Wanda Miglio said at a news conference that there were about 60 people in the area but no one else got hurt.
"This should have been something that was fun and exciting and of course when something like this happens it's just a tragedy," Miglio said, calling Grimmie's brother Mark a "hero," who made sure that the shooter will not harm other people in the venue, according to NBC News.
Fans and celebrities expressed their grief on social media about the passing of Grimmie; because of that, the hashtag #RIPChristina became the top trending.
Grimmie's fame started when she performed music on YouTube and finished third place in The Voice Season 6. She was also working on an album under the label Island Records, USA Today reported.
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