Ivanka Trump has sent her condolences to the victims of the shooting in Jacksonville after a gamer opened fire at an online video game tournament after losing a match, killing two people before turning the gun on himself.
David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, carried out the attack on Sunday using at least one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing shopping mall in Florida, authorities said.
While police have not identified the victims, family members told WJAX that the two people killed were Eli Clayton and Taylor Robertson – both video game contestants.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office said 11 other people were wounded by gunfire and at least two others were injured while fleeing the scene of Sunday’s shooting.
All of the injured were in a stable condition on Sunday evening, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said.
As news about the incident began to emerge, Ivanka Trump tweeted: ‘As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting.’
Her father, President Donald Trump, has yet to speak publicly about the shooting although he has tweeted about the stock market, his approval ratings and slammed the media.
David Katz (pictured right), 24, of Baltimore, carried out the attack on Sunday using at least one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing, authorities said
Ivanka Trump has sent her condolences to the victims of the shooting in Jacksonville, but her father has yet to speak publicly about it
‘As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting,’ Ivanka Trump wrote on Twitter
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said he had been briefed on the attack and the White House was monitoring the situation.
The Jacksonville Landing, in the heart of the city’s downtown, was the site of a Trump rally in 2015, early in his campaign for the White House.
Florida senator Marco Rubio took to Twitter shortly after the shooting.
‘Horrifying news from #Jacksonville this afternoon,’ he wrote.
‘Have spoken to local authorities & am still awaiting more information on this shooting. Situation still unfolding, law enforcement is asking everyone to avoid the area. #Sayfie.’
A number of other politicians took to Twitter to speak about the shooting in Jacksonville
Other politicians have also taken to Twitter to speak about the shooting.
Congressman Keith Ellison, from Minnesota’s 5th district, wrote: ‘Another tragic loss of life to gun violence in Jacksonville today.
‘We must keep fighting for common sense measures to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals and those who pose a risk to themselves or others.’
Bill Nelson, the senior US Senator for Florida, added: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Rick Scott said he had offered local authorities in Jacksonville any state resources they may need – and later said he had spoken with Trump about the incident.
Congressman Keith Ellison called for common sense gun laws to ‘keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals and those who pose a risk to themselves or others’
A Jacksonville Sheriff crime scene unit van is seen as law enforcement investigates a shooting at the GLHF Game Bar which uses the same entrance as the Chicago Pizza place
‘I’ve spoken to @JSOPIO Mike Williams to offer any state resources he may need. FDLE is currently responding, and I have spoken to FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen regarding the shooting in Jacksonville. We will continue to receive updates from law enforcement,’ he wrote.
He later added: ‘Just spoke with @POTUS regarding the shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. He offered any federal resources needed to respond. FDLE and the Florida Highway Patrol are currently assisting local law enforcement.
Governor Scott also shared a picture with firefighters in Jacksonville, writing: ‘Had the opportunity to meet with heroes from Jacksonville Fire and Rescue who were across the street when the shooting began and rushed in to save lives. These brave men and women and the @JSOPIO officers work every day to help others, we cannot thank them enough.’
Florida Attorney general Pam Bondi added: ‘Praying for Jacksonville and the victims of this horrific attack. My advocates are there assisting @JSOPIO —helping the victims.’
Witnesses told local media that the gunman was a disgruntled gamer, who was angry because he lost Sunday’s tournament. It was not clear if he knew his victims.
Police say Katz killed himself and his body was found near the bodies of two shot dead at The Landing, a popular riverside shopping and restaurant spot in Jacksonville.
A red dot that appears to be a laser pointer is visible on the chest of a player seconds before the first of a dozen gunshots rings out
Sheriff Williams declined Sunday to comment on possible reasons for the attack.
Police and FBI agents swarmed Katz’s upscale townhouse in South Baltimore late on Sunday, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Police also seized Katz’s vehicle parked nearby the tournament site.
The shooting took place during a regional qualifier for the Madden 19 online game tournament at the GLHF Game Bar inside a pizza restaurant, according to the venue’s website.
The winners of the contest go forward to the video game finals in Las Vegas and compete for $165,000.
The bar was livestreaming a football video game competition when the gunfire started, according to video shared on social media.
In the video, players can be seen reacting to the shots and cries can be heard before the footage cuts off.
Taylor Poindexter and her boyfriend, Marquis Williams, had traveled from Chicago to attend the tournament, and they fled when the gunfire erupted. She said she saw Katz take aim at his victims.
‘We did see him, two hands on the gun, walking back, just popping rounds,’ Poindexter told reporters.
‘I was scared for my life and my boyfriend’s.’
Another gamer, Chris ‘Dubby’ McFarland, was hospitalized after a bullet grazed his head.
‘I feel fine, just a scratch on my head. Traumatized and devastated,’ he wrote on Twitter.
Taylor Poindexter speaks to reporters after witnessing a gunman open fire on gamers
The sheriff’s office said many people were transported to hospital, and its deputies found many others hiding in locked areas at The Landing.
A spokesman for Jacksonville’s Memorial Hospital said it was treating three victims, all of whom were in stable condition. The conditions of other patients was not available early on Monday.
Reacting to news of the shooting during the tournament involving its game, Madden 19 maker Electronic Arts Inc said it was working with authorities to gather facts.
‘The tragic situation that occurred Sunday in Jacksonville was a senseless act of violence that we strongly condemn,’ a company spokesperson said to Reuters late on Sunday.
‘Our most heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of the victims whose lives were taken today and those who were injured.’
The latest rampage occurred amid a debate over 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.