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Jacksonville shooting: gamer kills 2 at Madden esports tournament
A gamer on Sunday injured at least 11 people, killed two, and then turned a gun on himself at an esports tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.
The incident occurred just after midday local time on Sunday in Jacksonville, at a sanctioned EA Sports tournament for competitive Madden NFL 19 players.
The gunman — named as competitive gamer David “Bread” Katz — reportedly became angry after losing a match at the tournament.
A clipped broadcast of the tournament, which was live on streaming platform Twitch at the time, shows one of the gamers on screen with a red laser aimed at his chest. The stream cut out soon afterwards. At least 12 shots can be heard fired in the clip.
Twitch: ‘We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today’
“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,” EA Sports tweeted on Sunday. “This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved.”
This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved.
— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) August 26, 2018
Individuals and companies across the gaming industry paid their respects to the victims.
“We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today. Twitch and all its staff send our deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones, and everyone in our community who’s grieving today,” wrote Twitch on its official account.
We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today. Twitch and all its staff send our deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones, and everyone in our community who’s grieving today.
— Twitch (@Twitch) August 26, 2018
EA Sports’ official Twitter account later retweeted Madden NFL’s statement.
“All of us at Electronic Arts are devastated by this horrific event, and we also join the community in thanking the first responders who were quickly on the scene,” it read.
— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) August 27, 2018
The Jacksonville shooting comes some six months after the Majory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, during which 17 people were killed and 17 more were injured.
Feature image: Jacksonville, Florida by James Willamor via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
