Police identify gunman who killed ex-Voice star

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New Jersey native Christina Grimmie, a 22-year-old one-time contestant on the TV show "The Voice," was shot dead after a concert Friday by a gunman who traveled from another part of Florida to kill her, Orlando police said.

Orlando police Saturday identified the man who shot and killed 'Voice' star singer Christina Grimmie while she was interacting with fans following a Friday concert.

"OPD can confirm 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl, suspect who shot Christina Grimmie, is from St Petersburg, FL," the department Tweeted.

He didn’t know Grimmie personally and appears to be a deranged fan. The police were searching the killer’s cellphone and computer for a motive.

Grimmie was shot Friday night as she was signing autographs after a performance in Orlando at The Plaza Live.

The gunman then fatally shot himself after Grimmie's brother tackled him, possibly preventing further injuries and deaths, authorities said. Grimmie was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead early Saturday morning, her publicist said.

"She was doing a meet-and-greet, just signing autographs and selling merchandise. This white male approached her and opened fire, striking her," Mina said. "We believe he came here to commit this crime."

Mina said the gunman was armed with two handguns, a knife and extra bullets in two magazines, and was prepared to return home after shooting Grimmie.

A publicist, Heather Walsh, said in an email early Saturday that "we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord."

Grimmie, a New Jersey native, finished third during season six of NBC's "The Voice" in 2014, competing on the team of Maroon 5 star Adam Levine. She began amassing a following on YouTube as a teenager, gripping online viewers with her powerful renditions of hit songs. Her videos on YouTube have garnered millions of views.

Police said in a news release that Grimmie had performed with the band Before You Exit. The concert ended around 10 p.m., and Grimmie was shot near a merchandise table near the exit in the rear of the venue.

Officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired around 10:30 p.m. Friday, Mina said.

About 120 people attended the concert, though only a handful remained when the shooting happened, police said.

Mina said the concert hall's security guards check bags and purses at the door but don't carry weapons or conduct pat-downs. There were no metal detectors and off-duty officers were not working the concert, he said.

Grimmie had posted a video of herself shortly before the concert was scheduled to begin, encouraging fans to come see her perform.

"The Voice" paid tribute to Grimmie on its official Twitter page: "There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice."

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2014 that Grimmie moved to Los Angeles in 2012 after joining Selena Gomez on tour to focus on her singing career.

"I'm done being surprised by cool things she does. She's very talented and she's worked incredibly hard -- it's a dangerous combination," her brother Mark Grimmie told the newspaper at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.