David Katz went on a mass shooting rampage after losing the gaming tournament.
David Katz went on a mass shooting rampage after losing the gaming tournament.
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
Two people were killed and 11 others wounded when a video game tournament competitor went on a shooting rampage before turning the gun on himself in the northern Florida city of Jacksonville.
David Katz, 24, has been identified as the suspect shooter at an online gaming tournament in Florida that was partially captured on a horrifying livestream.
Katz carried out his shooting rampage at the Jacksonville Landing complex at around 1.34pm on Sunday (local time), police said.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams confirmed that Katz is from Baltimore and had travelled to Jacksonville for the tournament.
David Katz named as the gunman that opened fire on Sunday during an online video game tournament that was being livestreamed from a Florida mall. Photo / supplied
According to Steven "Steveyj" Javaruski, one of the competitors, the shooter was a gamer who was competing in the tournament and lost.
The shooter "targeted a few people" and shot at least five victims before killing himself, Javaruski told The Los Angeles Times in a direct message on Twitter.
He later tweeted police escorted him out of the venue.
I got out. Police escorted me. I’m done going to any Madden events not EA Majors with security.
Last February, David Katz won the Madden 17 Championship. A tweet shared by the Buffalo Bills American football team shows him posing with a 'Madden Champ' shirt. Photo / Twitter
The riverfront mall in Jacksonville that was hosting the video game tournament. Photo / AP
Sheriff Williams said federal authorities raided a house at South Baltimore as part of the investigation into the shooting.
He appealed for anyone with videos or information of the incident to contact the Sheriff's Office.
Earlier dozens of ambulances and police cars flooded into The Jacksonville Landing within two minutes of a call, a waterfront dining, entertainment and shopping site in the city's downtown, after several shots rang out on a sunny Sunday afternoon (local time).
The shooting took place during a regional qualifier for the Madden 19 online game tournament at the GLHF Game Bar inside a Chicago Pizza restaurant, according to the venue's website.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, right, holds a news conference. Photo / AP
Distressing live stream footage, posted on Twitter, shows two people, smiling with headphones on and playing the Madden 19 American football game before screaming and gunshots can be heard ringing out in the background.
The numerous loud gunshots suddenly interrupt the stream and disrupting the video connection — leaving a "controller disconnected" warning as the players fled.
Audio of the shooting was being broadcast live as the tournament was underway, with several loud gunshots suddenly interrupting the stream and disrupting the video connection.
JAX SHOOTING: -Jacksonville Landing area cleared -No outstanding suspects -Suspect is a white male, deceased, working to confirm identity -Deceased victims at scene, injured in hospital, no count yet -Looking for more info -Aware of video @WUFTNewspic.twitter.com/GIekJnpeaH
The event was the Southeastern Qualifier for the Madden NFL Championship Series for Madden NFL 19, according to the GLHF Game Bar's Facebook page.
"This is your chance to earn your spot in the first Major's Live Finals happening in October 2018. Don't hesitate to secure your spot," the post read in part.
One of the competitors, Drini Gjoka, was grazed by a bullet.
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.
It didn't take long for some Democratic candidates for governor to issue statements on the shooting.
It didn't take long for some Democratic candidates for governor to issue statements on the shooting.
Ahead of Tuesday's primary election, in which voters will pick the Republican and Democratic nominees to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott, former US Rep.
Gwen Graham sent an email to supporters that said the only way to end mass shootings is to "vote out the politicians complicit in this cycle of death."
Florida Senator Bill Nelson expressed "shock" and "outrage".
Word of another tragic mass shooting in our state brings shock and outrage. Right now, law enforcement are doing their jobs under horrific circumstances and it’s important that people in the Jacksonville area heed their warnings.
We are grateful for the first responders immediately on the scene. We support our partners at EA Sports and will continue to monitor developments with local law enforcement. (2/2)
There was a shooting at the Madden tournament in Jacksonville. Our player @JoelCP_ is safe. Our thoughts are with everyone that had to be part of such a horrendous event. Stay strong, stay safe.
The Jacksonville Landing, in the heart of the city's downtown, hosts concerts and other entertainment, has a busy food court and a host of bars and restaurants. President Donald Trump held a rally there in October 2015 early in his campaign for the White House.
Madden 19's developers Electronic Arts has taken to Twitter to offer its "deepest sympathies" to those involved in the shooting and said it was working with police to aid the investigation.
We are aware of an incident at a sanctioned Madden Championship Series competition in Jacksonville. We are working with authorities to gather facts at this stage.
Florida has been the site of other recent mass shootings — the February massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, and the fatal shooting of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando two years ago.
