Gunman opens fire at esports tournament
Three people were killed, including the gunman, and 11 people were injured during a mass shooting at a video game tournament at a north Florida mall, police say.
Sheriff Mike Williams said 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.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said U.S. President Donald Trump called him, offering any federal help needed in response to the shooting.
Scott spokesman John Tupps said the governor also spoke Sunday with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Williams.
The governor is preparing to fly from his home in Naples to Jacksonville and meet with investigators. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol have been directed to help with the investigation.
The gunfire comes six months after a massacre at a high school in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead. The Jacksonville shooting is the latest shooting rampage to erupt in an otherwise peaceful place — a wave of violence that has extended across the U.S. — this time erupting at a popular waterfront destination in northern Florida.
Esports tournaments such as the Sunday event involve professional competitors vying for prize money in games streamed to thousands of online spectators. Prominent esports players carry endorsement deals and legions of fans, much like professional athletes do. The Jacksonville event was a regional qualifier leading to an October final in Las Vegas, with a top prize of $25,000. It was unclear how many players were in the mall when the shooting occurred inside one of the mall’s restaurants, which was hosting the tournament. Just after 2 p.m., the sheriff ’s office urged people to stay away from the area.
Electronic Arts, the digital interactive entertainment company in charge of the tournament, said it is aware of the incident and is co-operating with law enforcement.
“This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved,” the company said.
A live stream of the competition on Twitch showed a red laser dot briefly appearing on a competitor’s sweatshirt before the camera angle switched and gunshots could be heard. It’s unclear whether he was hit.
Danny Flaherty, a 22-yearold gamer from the United Kingdom, said that he heard gunshots and that his “only thoughts” afterward were “to run.”