Shooting rampage rocks Madden tourney in Jacksonville
‘Multiple fatalities’ at Florida event, including suspect, authorities say
A SWAT team swept through Jacksonville’s scenic riverfront Sunday after a shooting rampage during a Madden 19 video game tournament left multiple people dead and others wounded, authorities in the Florida city said.
Sheriff Mike Williams said the lone shooter, a white male, was among the dead. He declined to give a death toll.
“We just finished clearing the Jacksonville Landing ... and the scene is secure,” Williams said at a news conference. “I would encourage people not to come down, to spectate. We don’t need that at this point.”
The sheriff’s office said there were “multiple fatalities,” and many other victims were transported to hospitals. There were no additional suspects sought.
Multiple media outlets, including WJXT-TV, said four people were dead and several more wounded at the GLHF Game Bar.
Authorities urged people hiding in the area to call 911 so police could get them out.
A live feed from the tournament was underway when the shooting took place, and the audio feed was interrupted by the sound of several gunshots.
Gov. Rick Scott said he had promised Mayor Lenny Curry and other officials in Jacksonville any state support they might need.
Jacksonville is about 300 miles north of Parkland, where a gunman killed 17 people in a rampage at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day. Sen. Bill Nelson issued a statement after Sunday’s shooting saying: “Word of another tragic mass shooting in our state brings shock and outrage.”
Ryan Alemon said he was in the bar when at least one gunman opened fire.
“Everyone was running; they were dropping because they were getting shot,” Alemon told CNN. “I heard yelling; I heard, ‘Help me, I’m shot.’ ”
Alemon said he hid in bathroom for about 10 minutes before fleeing the bar when he was certain the shooting was over.
“I am still in shock,” he said.
Video game giant Electronic Arts issued a statement saying it was “aware of an incident at a sanctioned Madden Championship Series competition in Jacksonville. We are working with authorities to gather facts at this stage.”
Complexity Gaming, a professional gaming team that had a player participating in the event at the GLHF Game Bar, said on Twitter that participant Grini Gjoka was grazed in the hand but was “away from the scene and safe.”
Gjoka tweeted that he was hit in the thumb when the tournament “got shot up.”
“Worst day of my life,” Gjoka said. “I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second.”
The Jacksonville Landing is an entertainment complex along the St. Johns River. The area includes waterfront restaurants and an indoor shopping mall. The GLHF Game Bar – GLHF stands for “good luck, have fun” – bills itself online as “Jacksonville’s home for gamers and nerds alike.”
The shooting took place less than two days after gunfire rang out at a high school football game a few miles away, leaving one person dead and two wounded.