See below for updates.
Authorities say that four people have died and several more were wounded after a shooting at a Madden eSports video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. [Update: Police now say that three people have died in the shooting, including the gunman.]
The suspect, reportedly one of the contestants who lost, is one of the fatalities, say police.
The “Madden” tournament was being held at the GLHF Game Bar next to Chicago Pizza. The Jacksonville Landing, which is located along the St. Johns River, is home to restaurants, stores and live entertainment.
Steven “Steveyj” Javaruski, one of the gamers, told the Los Angeles Times that the shooter was a competitor in the tournament who lost. Javaruski said he saw the the gunman kill two or three people before shooting himself.
EA Sports, the video game developer behind the “Madden” series, released statements on Twitter confirming that it is working with authorities to collect information.
“We are aware of an incident at a sanctioned Madden Championship Series competition in Jacksonville. We are working with authorities to gather facts at this stage,” the statement from EA Sports reads. “This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved.”
Vic Micolucci, a news anchor for WJXT in Jacksonville, reported that, according to his sources, there were 15 victims in total and four were dead. The survivors were reportedly being transported to various hospitals.
Many of the gamers were apparently broadcasting on Twitch, a live-streaming platform, when the gunshots began. We will update with whatever video is available later.
What is there to say? The same arguments by both sides in the Second Amendment debate will begin before the day is out. Nothing new will be said or written. Gun rights advocates will be called “terrorists” or worse. The NRA will be trashed.
And at least four more families will mourn the dead.
Listen to audio from the shooting below:
Update 4:58 p.m. EST: In the video below, the sound of gunshots can be heard interrupting the video game:
https://youtu.be/VzfK-ir1Zt8
Update 8:46 p.m. EST: The AP is reporting that three people died in the shooting, including the gunman:
Sheriff Mike Williams said Sunday evening he believed the shooter is 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore. He said the FBI was searching the man’s home as part of the investigation.
Williams said nine other people were wounded by gunfire and are in stable condition and two others were hurt while fleeing the shots. He says the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
William said Katz committed the shooting with a single handgun. He said Katz was in Jacksonville for the “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament. The games maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner.
An FBI official in Baltimore has confirmed that agents are searching the family home of the man authorities believe was behind a deadly shooting attack at a video game tournament at a Florida mall.
An FBI spokesman, Dave Fitz, says agents have gone to the suspect’s father’s house in Baltimore, hours after Sunday’s mass shooting in Jacksonville, Florida. He did not immediately release any other specifics, citing an ongoing investigation.
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