Two dead at shooting in Madden tournament in Florida

Two victims confirmed dead; shooter David Katz also killed himself at scene.

By REUTERS, HADAS LABRISCH
Updated: AUGUST 27, 2018 10:44
Gunman kills two at video game tournament in Florida, August 26, 2018 (CBS/Reuters)
A mass shooting broke out at a Madden video game tournament that was being streamed online from a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday. Two casualties were confirmed by police, as well as 11 injured, 9 from gunshot wounds.
The local sheriff confirmed Sunday night that the search for additional perpetrators in the Jacksonville shooting is over and there are no outstanding suspects.
The man suspected of carrying out the shooting died at the scene and was one of the three fatalities, police reported Sunday night. The Jacksonville Sheriff Office identified him as 24 year old David Katz from Baltimore.
Katz, nicknamed "Bread", is a long-time gamer. In a 2017 competition he can be seen playing against fellow Madden contestant (on the left).
“Stay far away from the area, the area is not safe,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter during the event. “We can’t stress enough to stay away. Many blocks away.”

The suspect is reportedly a gamer who participated in the competition and lost earlier on.

Many people were transported to hospital, reported the office. Five injured are in stable condition and one is serious, hospital staff stated Sunday night. Others arrived independently to receive treatment.
The shooting took place at a restaurant at Jacksonville Landing, a waterfront dining, entertainment and shopping site in downtown Jacksonville, according to local media.
The business was livestreaming a tournament for a Madden football video game when several shots rang out, according to video of the stream shared on social media.
In the video, players can be seen reacting to the gunfire and cries can be heard before the footage cuts off.
The Florida shooting occurs amid a debate about US gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Two years ago a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
One Twitter user, Drini Gjoka, said he was in the tournament and was shot in the thumb.
“Worst day of my life,” Gjoka wrote on Twitter. “I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second.”
The sheriff’s office said its deputies were finding many people hiding in locked areas at Jacksonville Landing.
“We ask you to stay calm, stay where you are hiding. SWAT is doing a methodical search,” it said on Twitter. “We will get to you. Please don’t come running out.”
Local news footage showed several ambulances, as well as firefighters and police officers, on the scene, as well as roads being blocked off in the downtown area.


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