Cops probe US shooter’s motive

Witnesses: Suspect was angry after losing gaming tournament

JACKSONVILLE: Police searched for a motive in the third mass shooting in Florida in two years, which left two people dead and 11 wounded in Jacksonville, before the gunman killed himself at a video game tournament.

Witnesses told local media that the gunman, identified by police as David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, was a disgruntled gamer, angry because he lost Sunday’s tournament.

It was not clear if he knew his victims.

While police have not identified the victims, family members told Jacksonville CBS television station WJAX that the two people killed were Eli Clayton and Taylor Robertson, both of whom were video game contestants.

The Jacksonville Sheriff ’s office said 11 other people were wounded by gunfire and at least two others were injured while fleeing the scene of Sunday’s shooting.

Police say Katz killed himself and his body was found near the bodies of two shot dead at The Landing, a popular riverside shopping and restaurant spot in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams declined to comment on possible reasons for the attack.

Police and FBI agents swarmed Katz’s upscale townhouse in South Baltimore late on Sunday, multiple media accounts said, including the Baltimore Sun.

Police also seized Katz’s vehicle parked near the tournament site.

The shooting took place during a regional qualifier for the Madden NFL 19 online game tournament at the GLHF Game Bar inside a pizza restaurant, according to the venue’s website.

The winners of the contest go jon to the finals in Las Vegas and compete for US$165,000 (RM675,010).

The latest rampage occurred amid a debate over US gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

President Donald Trump had been briefed and was monitoring the situation in Jacksonville, the White House said.

The bar was livestreaming a foot ball video game competition when the gunfire started, according to video shared on social media.

In the video, players can be seen reacting to the shots and cries can be heard before the footage cuts off.

The sheriff ’s office said many people were transported to hospital and its deputies found many others hiding in locked areas at The Landing.

A spokesman for Jacksonville’s Memorial Hospital said it was treating three victims, all of whom were in stable condition.

Reacting to news of the shooting, Madden NFL 19 maker Electronic Arts Inc said it was working with authorities to gather facts. — Reuters