Two people were killed and at least 13 were injured in a mass shooting at a video game tournament in a shopping and dining complex in Jacksonville city, Florida on Sunday. The shooter, who was a video gamer, killed himself after the incident.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams identified the shooter as 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore in Maryland state, and said he was in Jacksonville for the video game competition, Reuters reported. He said Katz was a competitor in the eSports tournament and used “at least one handgun” to carry out the shooting, reported AFP. The motive behind the shooting is not yet known.
“Three deceased individuals were located at the scene, one being the suspect,” Williams said, adding that 11 people suffered gunshot wounds while two more were injured while fleeing the scene.
The shooting took place during a regional qualifier for the Madden 19 online game tournament at a game bar inside a Chicago Pizza restaurant. The bar was live-streaming the football video game competition when the shooter opened fire. 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 the Federal Bureau of Investigation was assisting them in Baltimore. TJ Smith, a Baltimore City Police spokesperson, said the department was assisting law enforcement agencies with information that led them to Baltimore.
This is the third major shooting in Florida in the last two years. In February, 17 people were killed at a high school in Parkland. Two years ago, a gunman killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando.
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