Friday night, at a meet and greet session following her show in Orlando, FL, Youtube star, “The Voice” alum, and pop singer Christina Grimmie was shot multiple times by an unknown assailant who, once tackled and subdued by Grimmie’s brother, took his own life. An evil, senseless act of violence. The murderer, reportedly, had no connection to Grimmie prior, despite some fallacious reports that he was an ex-boyfriend.

Christina died shortly after being rushed to the hospital due to complications from her injuries. She was only 22 and was in the process of working on new music for her millions of fans and listeners worldwide.

I remember the first video I ever watched of hers back when she still went by her YouTube name “zeldaxlove64” (coined after her love for Ocarina of Time). It was early 2011 and it was her cover of Katy Perry’s single “E.T.”. Her voice, her talent, and the following marathon I did of her other covers on Youtube inspired me. If this girl could fight for her own dreams with just a shoddy camera, a piano, and a voice then I could fight for myself too. I was a very idealistic 9th grader. During her Youtube prime, I would remember meeting other people at school and such who also watched her weekly covers and we would always fangirl and watch her new videos together or share them around. When my high school days started to become a little more depressive, I remember the joy I feel with every new video in my subscription box and the patience with which I waited for her first EP, to which I spent countless nights putting on repeat and dancing to in my room. It was pretty amateur pop music, but it was more the milestone because I felt like I was going on this journey with her.

Then came her first studio album, With Love. A much more sophisticated pop album. Stunning tracks like With Love and I Bet You Don’t Curse God moved me, and I urge everyone to give them a listen in her memory. Her messages and lyrics touched me and brought me much needed light. Not necessarily because I’m religious but because it was the support from someone who I considered a distant friend during tumultuous high school days. After that came her time on Season 6 of “The Voice”. I think my mom can remember how much I fan-girled every performance, every high note. I would always hype her up before and after each of Monday's performances (yes, my senior year of high school saw me watching Season 6 every Monday and Tuesday with my mom). Covering some of my favorite songs, and doing such original compositions of others, she put her talent on a world stage for everyone to enjoy and carved out her own space as an artist.

Some hits, some misses, at the root of Grimmie’s career and life was eternal kindness, compassion, faith, and respect for all people. Free from controversy or scandal and never letting a label dropping her getting her down and out, she never let the industry take her away from herself. Even amidst executives pressuring her to show some skin or sing specific lyrics, she stuck to her guns and refused the mainstream if it wasn't going to accept her the way she was. As someone who has followed many similar journeys of indie to mainstream artists, Grimmie was special for never losing sight of herself, her music, or her fans. She never “changed” as many up and coming stars do.

And make no mistake, senseless gun violence is what caused this. Lack of regulations and security caused this. Sure, an evil and unsettled man took her life, but he walked into a venue and a meet and greet with two guns and a hunting knife freely, with intent to kill someone. It is also impossible to ignore this is an unknown man committing murder against a woman popular on the Internet and elsewhere. Gendered violence, especially placed against the backdrop of international fame and internet presence is a very prevalent issue today (topics like GamerGate come to mind especially). We can't be so naive, these people who are victims of senseless gun or gender violence don't deserve that, and never will. We can't afford to keep writing off the individuals who commit these atrocities as lone wolves. Larger systems of socialization permit this violence to occur, and it doesn't help that Americans have a cult-like loyalty to civilian gun ownership. This isn't and never will be an isolated incident.

Christina Grimmie doesn’t deserve to be another hashtag burning up social media and fading just as fast. Victims of gun violence due to lack of regulations, and irresponsibility of gun sellers and lawmakers deserve more than your thoughts and prayers. We are the only major developed country in which this is a constant problem that we can escape because apparently, we care more about an archaic, frequently outdated book more than the actual lives of the people that book is claiming to ensure the liberties of. How many more tweets of thoughts and prayers before we start to put our feet on the ground?

Christina Grimmie lived beautifully and with faith not just in her God, but in all things. I never met her or knew her personally, but I can say with full confidence and assurance that she was a bright light snuffed out too soon and in the most horrific way possible. When someone that you identify so closely with and have essentially grown up with loses their life at the hands of another human, you question of a lot things. She won't be forgotten. She should help remind us all that we should never take life or our loved ones for granted because, really, anything can happen. You will be missed Christina. This writer will always remember you and carry your light with him, with love.

"People aren't born strong. people grow stronger little by little, encountering difficult situations and learning not to run from them" - Christina Grimmie

You can donate to Grimmie’s family at the independently created GoFundMe page

And you can sign petitions to end or prevent gun violence and make your voice heard here or here or you can find your representatives here to demand action

And you can support her recent work for the Humane Society by joining her Charity Champions League team in her memory