425 N Bumby Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
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Author: Jewls Krueger
On the evening of June 10, 2016, 22 year old YouTube and "The Voice" star Christina Grimmie was shot and killed by an obsessed fan while signing autographs at a meet-and-greet inside The Plaza Live concert venue in Orlando, Florida. The killing of the popular and talented young singer stunned her fans and the music industry, and it came less than 36 hours before the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub just a few miles away.
Christina Grimmie -Creative Commons: Justin Higuchi
Christina Victoria Grimmie was born on March 12, 1994 in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, New Jersey, to Tina and Bud Grimmie. She began posting cover song videos on YouTube in 2009 under the channel name "zeldaxlove64," eventually growing her following to several million subscribers and becoming one of the platform's most prominent young singers.
Her viral covers caught the attention of singer Selena Gomez, who took Grimmie on tour as an opening act in 2011. Grimmie moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles in 2012 to pursue music full time. She released her debut EP "Find Me" in 2011 and her debut studio album "With Love" in 2013. In 2014, she auditioned for Season 6 of NBC's "The Voice" with a cover of Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" that turned all four judges' chairs. She joined Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine's team and finished the season in third place. In the finale, Levine announced he would sign her to his label 222 Records regardless of the outcome.
By June 2016, Grimmie had released her second EP "Side A" and was on a small U.S. tour opening for the band Before You Exit.
Kevin Loibl's photo from his drivers license -Public Domain
Kevin James Loibl was a 27 year old part time Best Buy Geek Squad employee from St. Petersburg, Florida. He lived with his father and brother, who later told investigators he "lived like a hermit," rarely leaving his bedroom except for work. A search of his home found a thin mattress on the floor and windows blacked out with aluminum foil and heavy curtains. He had no criminal record and no diagnosed mental illness.
According to his coworker and self described only friend Cory Dennington, Loibl had developed an obsession with Grimmie in 2015. He watched her YouTube videos constantly, monitored her social media, and at some point began telling Dennington he intended to marry her. In an effort to make himself more attractive to her, Loibl underwent hair transplant surgery, LASIK eye surgery, and teeth whitening, lost about 50 pounds, and adopted a vegan diet. Dennington had grown concerned enough about Loibl's behavior that he reported it to their boss at Best Buy. Loibl reportedly became "angry and defensive" when Dennington tried to point out how unlikely it was that he could ever date Grimmie.
The Plaza Live is a historic concert venue at 425 North Bumby Avenue in Orlando's Milk District. The building opened on November 20, 1963 as the city's first two-screen movie theater, known to locals as the "Rocking Chair Theatre" for its comfortable seating. In the early 1990s it was converted into a live performance venue. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra acquired the building in August 2013. The main music hall can hold up to 903 seated guests or roughly 1,250 standing.
On June 9, the day before the concert, Loibl walked out of his St. Petersburg home and got into a taxi he had hired for a $200 round trip ride to Orlando. He brought a small backpack with toiletries, two handguns, two fully loaded magazines, a hunting knife, and a $15 ticket to the show. Before leaving, he removed the hard drive from his computer and destroyed it. Loibl checked into his Orlando hotel around 1:30 p.m. The hotel's front desk manager later told police he had thought it was strange that Loibl arrived with no luggage.
On the evening of June 10, Grimmie opened for the band "Before You Exit" at the Plaza Live in front of roughly 120 fans. The concert ended around 10 p.m., and Grimmie remained at her merchandise table to sign autographs and pose for pictures. About half an hour later, as Grimmie opened her arms to hug the next fan in line, Loibl produced a handgun and shot her multiple times. Her brother Marcus Grimmie, who was working the merch table, immediately tackled Loibl. During the struggle, Loibl broke free, backed against a wall, and shot himself in the head.
Further Reading
Christina was rushed to Florida Hospital Orlando, where she was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of June 11. She was 22.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina confirmed in the days that followed that Loibl had traveled to Orlando specifically to kill Grimmie and that Loibl did not know her personally. Investigators were unable to recover most of the data from his destroyed hard drive, but his cell phone, statements from coworkers, and a note left at his family's St. Petersburg home all supported the conclusion that the killing was a premeditated attack driven by his fixation on the singer.
Adam Levine, who had met Grimmie on The Voice, paid for Grimmie's funeral. She was buried at Berlin Cemetery in Berlin, New Jersey on June 16, 2016. A public memorial service was held in Medford the following day, drawing thousands of fans. Her family later founded the Christina Grimmie Foundation to support victims of gun violence and breast cancer, and the State of New Jersey designated June 10 as "Christina Grimmie Day." Her posthumous studio album "All Is Vanity" was released in June 2017.
The Plaza Live remains an active concert and event venue at 425 North Bumby Avenue in Orlando, just east of downtown in the Milk District neighborhood. After Grimmie's murder, the venue updated its security policies to include metal detectors and pat downs at most ticketed events.
The Plaza Live is open to the general public for ticketed events. Please be respectful of the staff, performers, and other attendees, follow all venue policies during your visit, and remember that the loss of Christina Grimmie remains deeply personal to many in her fan community.
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