Mass shooting causes multiple fatalities at competitive gaming event in Florida
A gunman opened fire in the middle of a video game tournament in the US state of Florida, killing two people and injuring 11 more before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
The shooting, which happened around 1:30 pm on Sunday, was connected to a Madden
NFL 19 video game tournament at Chicago Pizza in the Jacksonville Landing.
The suspect was identified as 24-year-old David Katz from Baltimore who used "at
least one handgun” on the victims and himself, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike
Williams said.
Williams did not elaborate on the motive of the shooting, but a witness told
reporters that Katz was upset because he had lost the tournament. The suspect
died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives visited Katz’s
residence in Baltimore and impounded his vehicle.
"We have faced an occurrence that is all too common,” Mayor Lenny Curry said.
"At terrible times, we see the best in people, and today is no different.”
Gunshots can be heard in recordings of a Madden NFL video game that was
underway in Chicago Pizza at the Landing.
The GLHF Game Bar in the Jacksonville Landing, which was hosting the tournament,
has said that all staff members and the owner were able to escape "untouched."
US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, according to White
House press secretary Sarah Sanders.
Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a gun control advocate who was
seriously wounded in a mass shooting in 2012, said in a statement, "The nation
once again looks to Florida with grief and heavy hearts."
"The massacre in Jacksonville is a tragic reminder of the threats we face from
gun violence, no matter who we are or where our day takes us," said Giffords.
"And it's yet another devastating indictment of this country's inability to keep
our kids safe."
The shooting site was later secured, according to Jacksonville County Sheriff
Mike Williams.
Source:presstv