Survivors of Jacksonville shooting spree to file suit

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several survivors of the deadly shooting at a gaming bar will file a negligent-security lawsuit within days, lawyers said Tuesday.

Matt Morgan said his firm’s clients include one person who was shot twice in Sunday’s assault. Others suffered physical or emotional injuries when David Katz, 24, opened fire at a “Madden NFL 19” video game competition Sunday at GLHF Game Bar. Katz killed two people and wounded 10 before fatally shooting himself.

“Unfortunately, the country has watched this unfold too often in the past,” Morgan said. “This is not the time in America for bare-bones security or, even worse, no security at all.”

Morgan declined to identify his clients but said his law firm is getting calls from survivors. He declined to name the likely targets of the litigation. The bar, which occupies space in the back of a Chicago Pizza restaurant, hosted the event. The bar and restaurant are part of the Jacksonville Landing entertainment complex, a waterfront area owned by the city. The event was organized by video game giant EA.

“The safety of Americans must always come before profits. It must always be people over profits,” Morgan said.

Other Jacksonville Landing businesses, which have been closed since the shooting, reopened Tuesday. Some returning workers peered into the windows of Chicago Pizza, where they could see tables and chairs returned to upright positions after many had been toppled by patrons scrambling to flee.

The floor, which had been covered with broken plates and glasses, was spotless. Two Chicago Pizza employees hurried past onlookers, unlocked the front door, went inside, then closed and locked the door.

Martin Barnett, who lives a couple blocks away, said he was standing on a sidewalk when the chaos unfolded.

“I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t want to go in this direction,” said Barnett, 59. “It had nothing to do with here, nothing to do with gaming. It was a sad day and a sad event.”

He said the Landing has struggled in recent years with shops shuttered and crime in and near the marketplace, but he wants it to remain open.

CRAIG BAILEY/USA TODAY NETWORK Flowers and a candle sit outside the Jacksonville Landing complex where three people died in a shooting on Sunday at a video game competition.