FLORIDA — Three were reported dead on Sunday at the Madden 19 Tournament presented by XBOX in Jacksonville.
The deaths were the toll of yet another mass shooting in Florida at the video game tournament for competitive players of the strategic football game.
Competitors gathered at the Jacksonville Landing Complex, where 24 year-old gamer David Katz also attended for the tournament at GLHF Game Bar. On Sunday, Katz opened fire after bringing a gun into the venue and killed two fellow participants and then turned the gun on himself. He injured eleven others, leaving nine with gunshot wounds.
The shooting was captured on an online stream of the event and the game was abruptly ended when the first shots were heard.
EA Sports Andrew Wilson released a statement online, noting the loss of the two victims was a toll to the gaming community:
“The authorities have confirmed that we lost two respected members of our community yesterday, Elijah ‘TrueBoy’ Clayton and Taylor ‘SpotMePlzzz’ Robertson. Their deaths are an inconceivable tragedy, and we offer our deepest sympathies to their families, to those injured and everyone affected by this. Many of us at EA knew Elijah and Taylor well, and their positive, competitive spirit and respect for other players were evident to everyone. They earned the admiration of all who watched them compete, and we will miss them greatly. We are committed to supporting their family members through this difficult time.”
