3 dead after shooting rampage at Madden tourney at Jacksonville Landing

Show Caption Hide Caption Shooting at Madden tournament in Florida: What we know Multiple fatalities occurred in a shooting at a Madden 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Fla.

Three people died and 11 others were wounded Sunday after a shooting rampage during a Madden 19 video game tourney in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the lone shooter, who is believed to be David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, was among the dead and had taken his own life.

While authorities had not released the names of the two shooting victims, multiple media outlets, including Florida Today of the USA TODAY Network, reported they were Taylor Robertson, 27, of Ballard, West Virginia, and Eli Clayton, 22, of Woodland Hills, California.

Sheriff Mike Williams said nine of the injured were taken to hospitals, seven with gunshot wounds. Two others sought hospital care on their own.

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"I'm happy to report they're all in stable condition at this time,'' said Williams, who declined to discuss a motive for the shooting.

Witnesses described a flurry of gunshots in a gaming room located in the back of the Chicago Pizza and Sports Grille, followed by a stampede as people rushed to escape.



Braheem Johnson of Jacksonville was working at the pizzeria at the time of the shooting. He caught a glimpse of the shooter, whom he described as a young male of average build, firing into the crowd with a large-caliber handgun sporting a laser sight attachment.

"I just heard shots and I looked at the window and I see him," Johnson said. "Dude came in there, basically like, to kill, basically. He was just in his rampage mode."



Johnson barricaded himself and some customers in the kitchen and grabbed two knives, adding, "If you come into this kitchen, you're bound to get stabbed."

A live feed from the tournament was underway when the shooting took place, and the audio feed was interrupted by the sound of several gunshots.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump had been briefed and was monitoring the situation. Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Trump called him and offered any federal help he needed.

Scott, who was preparing to fly to Jacksonville from his home in Naples, also spoke with Mayor Lenny Curry and other Jacksonville officials, according to Scott spokesman John Tupps.

"Today, this evening, tonight, Jacksonville is mourning. We have faced an occurrence that is all too common. It will require us to continue to do the hard work of public safety to make sure people are safe," Curry said. "One violent crime in our city is one too many. Tonight we pray for the wounded and we pray for the families of those we’ve lost.’’

He added, “Gov. Scott and scores of leaders from around the state have expressed their condolences and support. To all those and anyone watching I say this: Pray for Jacksonville as we deal with this senseless tragedy.’’

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Jacksonville is about 300 miles north of Parkland, where a gunman killed 17 people in a rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., issued a statement after Sunday's shooting: "Word of another tragic mass shooting in our state brings shock and outrage."

Ryan Alemon said he was in the bar when the gunman opened fire.

"Everyone was running, they were dropping because they were getting shot," Alemon told CNN. "I heard yelling, I heard, 'Help me, I'm shot.' "

Alemon said he hid in a bathroom for about 10 minutes before fleeing the bar when he was certain the shooting was over.

"I am still in shock," he said.

Video game giant Electronic Arts issued a statement that it was "aware of an incident at a sanctioned Madden Championship Series competition in Jacksonville. We are working with authorities to gather facts at this stage."

Complexity Gaming, a professional gaming team that had a player participating in the event at the GLHF Game Bar, said Twitter participant Drini Gjoka was grazed in the hand but was "away from the scene and safe."

Gjoka tweeted that he was hit in the thumb when the tournament "got shot up."

"Worst day of my life," Gjoka said. "I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second."

The Jacksonville Landing is an entertainment complex along the St. Johns River. The area includes waterfront restaurants and an indoor shopping mall.

The GLHF Game Bar – GLHF stands for good luck, have fun – bills itself online as "Jacksonville's home for gamers and nerds alike."

The shooting took place less than two days after a shooting at a high school football game a few miles away left one person dead and two wounded.