Topic: Shooting erupts at Florida gay nightclub, 'multiple injuries': police (Read 1337 times)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Christina Grimmie was a vivacious, outgoing singer whose career was born on social media and propelled toward the big time by television. She didn't consider herself a famous person, not like the judges on "The Voice," where she competed, but she had a following that was as enthusiastic about her music as she was.

Kevin Loibl wasn't like her. While she was a YouTube star, he seemed to be a shadow of Grimmie's online presence. He left little trace online.

The two apparently had no personal connection to one another until Friday night when police said Loibl traveled 100 miles from his home in St. Petersburg to an Orlando concert venue. There, he shot Grimmie as she was signing autographs for fans after performing. He then fatally shot himself after being tackled by Grimmie's brother, Marcus.

Grimmie died several hours later early Saturday. Millions of people, far more than those who loved her for her music, were shocked and saddened by her death.

"She was doing a meet-and-greet, just signing autographs and selling merchandise. This white male approached her and opened fire, striking her," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said Saturday at a news conference. "There is no indication that he knew her. We're looking into that to try to find a motive for the crime."

Grimmie, 22, isn't the only person in the entertainment industry to have been killed by a stranger. Preceding her were John Lennon, designer Gianni Versace and 1980s sitcom star Rebecca Shaeffer.

"Christina was a natural, gifted talent that comes along so rarely," wrote singer Adam Levine, who was Grimmie's mentor on "The Voice." ''She was taken from us too soon."

Grimmie was most widely known from those TV appearances two years ago, when she rocked listeners with her renditions of songs including "Wrecking Ball" and "Can't Help Falling in Love," and finished third.

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

Grimmie first gained attention seven years ago when she posted online a video of herself playing piano and singing "Don't Wanna Be Torn" by Miley Cyrus as television alter ego Hannah Montana.

In 2011, Entertainment Weekly crowned her "the veritable queen of YouTube musicians," already with nearly 1 million subscribers (she has 3.2 million now), an EP of original songs (titled "Find Me"), a single ("Advice") that was getting airplay on Radio Disney, and an opening spot touring with Selena Gomez.

Her growing success sparked Grimmie's move to Los Angeles, far from her hometown of Marlton, New Jersey, a small community some 20 miles from Philadelphia. She was intent on finding success on her own terms, writing songs that expressed her interests, "not just dancing and getting drunk and blah-blah-blah," as she told Entertainment Weekly. "I wanted to write with feeling and emotion."

"She just had a really powerful voice. She was incredibly talented and she sang from her heart," said 17-year-old Kaitlin Martin, a fan, who was waiting outside Orlando's The Plaza Live concert venue Friday night when she heard loud "pops" coming from inside.

"We thought at first they were balloons ... but then security started running all over the place yelling at people to get out because someone has a gun and someone is shooting. Everyone is just running all over the place," said Martin, who traveled to see to the concert from Brunswick, Georgia. "It was chaos."

Detectives were searching Loibl's cellphone and social media accounts looking for clues as to a motive, Mina said, but they weren't aware the suspect had stalked Grimmie.

At Loibl's home, in St. Petersburg, someone left a note on the front door, expressing the "deepest sorrow" for the loss "to the family, friends & fans of the very talented, loving Christina Grimmie." The note said there would be no other comment. No one answered the door to the one-story house that had a rusted, metal animal trap in the yard.

Unarmed security guards at The Plaza Live had checked bags and purses for contraband, Mina said, but there were no metal detectors or pat-downs of people as they entered the concert.

Loibl was armed with two handguns, two loaded magazines and a hunting knife, he said.

Police officers credited the singer's brother with preventing the gunman from hurting others by tackling him. Around 120 others were present at the time.

"Very heroic actions by Marcus Grimmie to jump in and it definitely could have prevented further loss of life," said Mina.

All events at The Plaza Live have been suspended until further notice, a spokeswoman said. "We appreciate everyone's understanding and support during this traumatic time," said a statement on its website.

Loibl had made travel arrangements to come to Orlando alone, as well as travel arrangements to go back home, but he didn't have a car, Mina said. The police chief wouldn't elaborate further.

"It does appear that he came here to commit this crime," Mina said


https://www.yahoo.com/movies/florida-police-seek-motive-killing-voice-singer-065351850.html

...As per the media reports, it is clear that the attacker was a homosexual. Why should he attack someone from his own community, and that too on behalf of the ISIS? ....

No, obviously it is not impossible.  As I understand, they were looking for an accomplice, but that was someone who was holding a door shut, as opposed to an active shooter.

Aside from the conspiracy nuts who will blame this on Bush and on Jews, wouldn't you think the story would develop, the bullet fragments will be examined, and things like that will be discussed?

New York Daily News in their article, "FBI spied on Orlando gay club terrorist Omar Mateen for 10 months in 2013: FBI Director James Comey," would admit (emphasis added):

Mateen first appeared on authorities' radar in 2013 after the security guard's colleagues alerted the FBI to inflammatory statements he made to colleagues claiming "family connections to Al Qaeda," according to Comey.

Mateen also told coworkers he had a family member who belonged to Hezbollah, a Shia network that is a bitter enemy of ISIS — the network he pledged allegiance to the night of the carnage, Comey noted.

The FBI's Miami office opened an inquiry into Mateen.

"He said he hoped that law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so he could martyr himself," Comey said.

Nevertheless, FBI investigators investigated Mateen, who was born in New York, for 10 months. They introduced him to confidential informants, spied on his communications and followed him. They also interviewed him twice.

But they weren't killed for that reason.  They were killed to once again get Islamic Terror on the front pages.  You see, in the last several weeks it hadn't had the front page.

OK... let's clarify things a little bit. Was there a second gunman / accomplice?

IMO, It is impossible for a single person to kill 49 individuals (and to injure another 53). If there was an accomplice, then why the mainstream media is remaining silent on this? I could find just one MSM article hinting that there were additional shooters:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/orlando-shooting-police-hunting-for-possible-accomplices-of-gay-nightclub-attacker-omar-mateen-a7081391.html

Perhaps it was better, when they were all in the closet and not constantly in your face with it. Horrible incident and prayers to all the victims and their families.

http://thesaker.is/the-shooting-in-orlando-a-few-very-basic-thoughts/

Frankly, I did not feel like commenting on this shooting.  Primarily, because I don’t believe that this event deserves the reaction it got.  Yes, sure, 50-100+ innocent people were shot/hurt, but that is more or less what happens on a daily basis in so many locations of our planet that I don’t see how the Orlando shooting would deserve some special attention (for example, just four days ago 19 Yazidi ladies were burned alive to death in a cage by Daesh for refusing to have sex with Daesh fighters). But then I got a ton of emails about that.  And, besides, since the homosexual lobby in the USA demands special protection for homosexuals, the massacre in Orlando is a big deal because it is a perfect illustration of how our masters want us to react.

A gay gun-rights group is calling on the LGBT community to arm themselves in the wake of the Orlando, Florida, terrorist attack Sunday that left 50 people dead.

In a statement Sunday, Pink Pistols speaker Gwendolyn Patton warned Americans to avoid a knee-jerk reaction to blame guns after 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen opened fire on dozens of unsuspecting revelers at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub.

"The Pink Pistols gives condolences to all family and friends of those killed and injured at Pulse," Ms. Patton said. "This is exactly the kind of heinous act that justifies our existence. At such a time of tragedy, let us not reach for the low-hanging fruit of blaming the killer's guns. Let us stay focused on the fact that someone hated gay people so much they were ready to kill or injure so many. A human being did this. The human being's tools are unimportant when compared to the bleakness of that person's soul.

This was caught Live, On Air! A witness to the Orlando Pulse Night Club Shooting Describes what happened Inside! As he starts to reveal one of the most important details yet, He is cut off and dropped from the broadcast. What they could not cut out tho, is that there was "someone" Holding the Doors, Stopping People from Getting Out!! This is explosive info that proves that the Alleged suspect Did Not Act Alone!

Janiel Gonzalez, 26 an eye witness tells the palmbeachpost.com-

He said he heard another gun from a different direction, so he wonders if there were two gunmen.

"Everybody dropped to the floor. We were trying to look for an exit. But the main exit was right next to the entrance where the shooter was shooting,'' he said.

"In a moment of desperation we were all crawling on the floor trying to find a place to exit. I looked to my right and I could see people going through some curtains. We were digging through the curtains and found a door.''

But he said the door was blocked by a man. He wasn't sure if it was a club security person or an accomplice to the gunmen.

I was just going to say what you said, and also, you dont go to a gay club and shoot people up if you dont have problems with gays. These people got killed because they loved the same sex.
It's one of the saddest things I've seen happen on US soil.

Jim Van Horn, Pulse nightclub customer: "He (Omar Mateen) was a homosexual and he was trying to pick up men"

Both "gun-free zones" for everyone but violent criminals!

Reports indicate that the perpetrator decided to attack, after getting offended by the sight of males kissing each other. So it seems that the attack was based on sexual preference. He had his 3 hours of fame.. and 50 individuals lost their lives. Had any of these victims carried a gun for self defense, at least three or four dozen lives would have been saved.

At the aurora theater I reckon!

This horrible attack is more than a tragedy , obviously, it is a total massacre. motive for this bloody act is the most dreadful of all.Killing people because of their sexual prefrences violent thing that i have ever known. i hope injured ones will get well soon and our prayers go to lost ones.

I wish I was wrong here but I have good connections. 50 people dead and 50 more are injured. This was a tragedy, 50 Killed because of their sexual preference makes me sick.