Screenshot of Video Jacksonville Madden shooting: video from the scene shows red dot on a player's clothing, presumed to be a laser, and a clip shows the chaos unfolding live online.
Jacksonville is reeling after a mass shooting Sunday afternoon at a Madden gaming tournament left three people dead, including the gunman, and 11 injured.
Video from the seen shows a red dot on a player’s clothing, presumed to be a laser, ABC News reports. Another clip from a livestream shows the chaos unfolding live on the internet, as the gunman, identified as David Katz, opened fire in a crowded gaming bar inside a Chicago Pizza during the tournament.
WARNING: This video contains audio and language some may find disturbing.
Chicago Pizza was hosting a satellite tournament for a nationwide EA Sports-sanctioned Madden NFL 19 competition that will culminate in a Las Vegas event with $125,000 on the line.
A witness told the Los Angeles Times that the shooter, identified as Katz, had played in the tournament earlier and lost. Another competitor in the tournament told the newspaper that Katz came back to the event with a gun and “targeted a few people” before fatally shooting himself.
Katz, 24, of Maryland, fatally shot himself at the scene, and was described as a “disgruntled” gamer who had participated in the Madden tournament, according to Fox. Katz has used the names Bread, mrslicedbread, ravenschamp and ravens2012champ in Madden competitions.
Katz had a history of mental illness, and was hospitalized multiple times growing up. Divorce filings from his parents say that as a teenager he was “twice hospitalized in psychiatric facilities and that he was prescribed anti-psychotic and anti-depressant medications,” according to ABC.
Katz was armed with two semi-automatic handguns – a .45 caliber and a 9mm, along with extra ammo, according to police. One of the guns was equipped with an aftermarket laser sight, police said.
Drini Gjoka, a Madden esports competitor for compLexity Gaming, described the horrifying scene as it unfolded, and said he was hit in the hand by a stray bullet.
CompLexity gave this statement confirming Gjoka was injured in the shooting:
We’re obviously shocked and saddened by this afternoon’s events. Our player, Drini, was hit in the thumb but is going to be fine. He managed to escape and run down the street to a nearby gym. He’s currently cooperating with the authorities and we will be flying him out of Jacksonville as soon as we are given the green light from the officials on the ground.
In a statement posted to Twitter Sunday evening, Electronic Arts described the incident as “a senseless act of violence that we strongly condemn.” The company added that “all of us at Electronic Arts are devastated by this horrific evening, and we also join the community in thanking the first responders who were quickly on the scene.”
EA released another statement Monday afternoon on Twitter, after the police announced the victims of the shooting, describing the incident as “an inconceivable tragedy.”
An esports tournament announcer that was present during the shooting described the scene in detail, and said he was torn between keeping his eye on the shooter or pretending to be dead.
“I kind of focused on the shooter and I could see the gun and I could see him aiming in to the room,” he told ABC News. “He aimed at him and he shot him, and then as the shots continued that’s when we ducked. We flipped the table over and put it up as a shield.”
Florida police held a news conference following the incident, which you can view below:
Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the FBI’s Jacksonville field office, were assisting in the investigation. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has also offered state resources to assist in the investigation.
