Several
people were killed in a mass shooting at a video game tournament in the
northern Florida city of Jacksonville, local police said Sunday, adding that
one suspect was dead.
“Multiple
fatalities at the scene, many transported,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
tweeted, adding that it was unclear whether there was a second possible gunman.
“Stay far
away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY.”
The Miami
Herald newspaper reported four people were dead and 11 wounded in the shooting
at the Madden 19 American football tournament in downtown Jacksonville. Madden
is a hugely popular multi-player video game based on the National Football
League.
According to
the LA Times, quoting player Steven “Steveyj” Javaruski, the shooter was a
gamer who had been competing and lost.
In
subsequent tweets, police said they were still searching The Landing
entertainment and shopping complex, where the tournament — a regional qualifier
for finals in Las Vegas with a $25,000 prize — was being held at the GLHF Game
Bar.
They urged
people hiding in locked areas of the complex to stay in place and call 911 to
make their location known.
– ‘Shocked
and saddened’ –
In
disturbing footage apparently captured as part of a livestream on the video
game streaming website Twitch, several gunshots could be heard in the
background, before the stream disconnected. Twitch removed the video, but it
remained available on social media.
CompLexity
Gaming, one of the gaming teams, said its player Young Drini was grazed on the
hand.
“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,” director Jason Lake told AFP.
“I will
never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second,”
Drini tweeted.
Several
social media users, including one claiming to be his mother, reported that the
prominent professional gamer known as “oLARRY2K” had been shot in the chest.
Survivors of
the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February, expressed sorrow at
news of another mass shooting in the state.
“Once again,
my heart hurts and all of me is so angry. We cannot accept this as our
reality,” Delaney Tarr, one of the organizers of the student-led March for Our
Lives movement, tweeted.
Florida
Governor Rick Scott confirmed he had offered state support in the aftermath of
the shooting.
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