On August 26, 2018, gunshots rang out at the Madden NFL 19 tournament being held at Jacksonville Landing retail and entertainment hub in Jacksonville, Florida.
Three people, including the gunman, believed by authorities to be David Katz, died in the tragedy while 11 others were wounded.
But who is David Katz, the suspect in the mass shooting? Here’s everything known about the alleged shooter so far.
David Katz is believed to be the lone suspect at the Madden NFL 19 shooting in Jacksonville
Who was David Katz?
David Katz is believed to be the perpetrator behind the Jacksonville video game tournament shooting that left three people dead, including himself of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Katz, 24, was a professional gamer who is believed to have lived in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the time of the shooting. He was also reportedly believed to be staying at a hotel in the Jacksonville area at the time of the shooting.
He is believed to have used one firearm in the shooting according to police, though it’s unclear as to whether it was obtained legally or how he managed to get the weapon into the tournament.
It is currently unknown if Katz personally knew the two victims of the shooting or what his motive was, although some reports have suggested that he was angry about losing the video game tournament. These reports have yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Katz was known in the gaming community and competed at various tournaments before under the alias ‘Bread’, though he’s also reportedly played under names like ‘mrslicebread,’ ‘ravens2012champ’ and ‘RavensChamp.’
He is believed to have won the Buffalo Bills Madden Club tournament back in February 2017 for the video game Madden 2017.
Katz, who had previously competed at a number of video game tournaments, reportedly kept to himself most of the time and rarely showed much emotion, earning a reputation as a loner in the professional video gaming community.
Katz previously had won the Buffalo Bills Madden Club tournament held back in February 2017
According to an announcer at the 2017 tournament: ‘David Katz keeps to himself. He’s a man of business. He’s not here to make friends. You can’t even get him to open up about anything, it’s like pulling teeth.’
Katz also competed at the Madden Club Series Championship later in 2017, ultimately losing in the quarterfinals game played in Burbank, California.
He reportedly posted tips and strategies on Twitch, YouTube and the currently-defunct video gaming website The Gamers Lab. Though often ranked as one of the top players in Madden Ultimate Team, he was reportedly criticized by some fellow gamers on social media for what they believed was underhanded play and cheating in games.
Jacksonville shooting
According to authorities, Katz is the lone suspect in the 2018 Jacksonville shooting that left three dead in the Florida city.
The shooting took place on Sunday, August 26, 2018 at approximately 12:30pm EST during the Madden NFL 19 tournament that was held at the GLHF Game Bar located in Jacksonville Landing, a retail and entertainment center located in Downtown Jacksonville.
According to reports, Katz lost a game and refused to shake hands with his victorious opponent. He is then believed to have left the video game bar before returning with a handgun and firing 12 shots, killing two people and injuring 11 others before committing suicide.
The shooting drew the response of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, a SWAT team and the United States Coast Guard, given the location of Jacksonville Landing along the banks of the St. Johns River.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office urged the public to stay away from the location of the shooting at 2:13pm EST and later confirmed fatalities at 2:45pm EST and that the suspect was dead at the scene at 2:53 pm EST.
Three were killed, including Katz, and 11 others injured at the Jacksonville Landing shooting
The two fatalities of the shooting aside from Katz were confirmed to be Elijah Clayton and Taylor Robertson, both professional gamers at the tournament.
Clayton, 22, lived in Los Angeles, competed under the names ‘True’ and ‘Trueboy.’ Clayton reportedly attended the tournament at the last-minute and was believed to be among the first victims of the shooting, as reports of video showing him with a red dot from a laser sight on his chest circulated on social media in the aftermath of the tragedy.
He reportedly won $51,000 (£39,608) in prizes during his professional gaming career, winning 40 per cent of the 20 games he played in.
Robertson, 27, competed under the name ‘SpotMePlzzz’ and left behind a wife and young son. He is believed to have earned $80,500 (£62,530) in prizes as a professional gamer, winning 72 per cent of the 18 games he competed in.
Electronic Arts, the creators of Madden 19, released a statement conveying their ‘heartfelt sympathies’ to the victims of the tragedy.
In the aftermath of the shooting, U.S. President Donald Trump contacted Florida Governor Rick Scott to offer Federal assistance in the response and investigation.
Shooting reaction
The tragedy quickly drew reactions from the professional gaming community, politicians, athletes and others on social media: