Martina McBride

**Martina McBride** (July 29, 1966 - June 18, 2017) was a singer and songwriter known for her genre of contemporary country music, which included her hit songs "My Daughter's Eyes", "Anyway", and "I'm Gonna Love You Through It".

## Death

On June 18, 2017 at approximately 1:33am, during a meet-and-greet following an earlier concert performance at the Denny Sandford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Martina McBride was fatally shot several times by 33-year-old Alexander McQuail, after which he shouted "fuck you, bitch!". McQuail then began to open fire on several fans present, before being tackled by one of Martina's bodyguards. Just then, a man armed with an AK-47 shot and killed the bodyguard and freed McQuail from his clutches. McQuail, armed with a nine millimeter pistol, along with seven other suspects each armed with AK-47 rifles, all proceeded to open fire, killing 12 fans, 6 bodyguards, 4 security guards, and wounding many others before leaving the scene and taking off in a blue van.

Paramedics arrived at the scene, however, Martina was pronounced dead at the scene. She was 50 years old. Investigators began working a case to find the perpetrators before more harm could be done to the general population. Witnesses told police the suspects drove off in a blue Ford Transit van, and a manhunt was launched to locate the vehicle.

At around 3:56am, authorities in a suburb of Sioux Falls located a vehicle matching the description parked in the driveway of Alexander McQuail's residence. When two police officers exited their cruiser in an attempt to knock on the door, the officers were ambushed when McQuail opened fire on them through a first-story window, killing one of the officers and forcing the other to take cover behind his cruiser. As McQuail engaged in a shootout with the officer, his accomplices assisted him in the fire fight. Pinned down behind his cruiser, the officer radioed for backup, and two more patrol cars arrived at the scene. The ordeal resulted in the deaths of three policemen, one of them killed with a headshot by a gunman shooting with a sniper rifle from a second story window. McQuail snuck inside the blue van and attempted to eliminate more officers by running them down, constantly crashing into police cruisers before being shot and killed by police. After five more gunmen were shot dead, one of the remaining perpatrators, Brian McQuail, the paternal cousin of the lead suspect, took off in a motorcycle from the garage to evade authorities. While the other remaining suspect was shot dead, police engaged in a high-speed pursuit with Brian McQuail, which ultimately ended with McQuail losing control of the motorcycle on Interstate 29, causing him to crash in a breakdown lane before being taken into custody.

An investigation into the perpetrators lives revealed Alexander McQuail showed complete resentment for country music, even taking to social media and saying "They should all be destroyed".

In the wake of the incident, Governor Dennis Daugaard reacted by calling it a "senseless act of violence". Sioux Falls mayor Mike Huether also reacted to the attacks and offered condolences to Martina McBride's family, including husband John McBride, and their three children. And to the fans who lost their lives as well.