There was a mass shooting yesterday, during the Southeast Qualifier tournament for Madden NFL 19 Classic held in Jacksonville, Florida, where a gunman suddenly opened fire on the crowd. He later committed suicide after leaving other two dead and nine injured, who were transported at local hospitals. Right now it is unclear whether the shooter was a tournament participant, a viewer or neither.
One suspect is dead at the scene, unknown at this time if we have a second suspect. Searches are being conducted. https://t.co/qBJvkaO7xT
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) August 26, 2018
Sheriff Mike Williams then released the following statement:
The single suspect in this case is a white male, and this is pending confirmation, but we believe the suspect to be 24-year-old David Katz from Baltimore, Maryland. The FBI is assisting us with that leg of the investigation in Baltimore.
Meanwhile, Electronic Arts released a statement of its own, and so did Twitch which was live streaming the event. In fact, below we've embedded some footage of the shooting as it was inadvertently caught live during the tournament. Needless to say, it contains violent content and we, therefore, caution strong viewer discretion before playing it.
Should there be any noteworthy updates, we'll add more to the story.
Electronic Arts
The tragic situation that occurred Sunday in Jacksonville was a senseless act of violence that we strongly condemn. Our most heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of the victims whose lives were taken today and those who were injured. 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. Our focus right now is on those affected, and supporting law enforcement as they continue their investigation into this crime.
Twitch
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.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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