Multiple fatalities in shooting at video game tournament in Florida

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Aug 26 (Reuters) - A gunman killed four people and wounded several others on Sunday when he opened fire at a video game tournament that was being streamed online from a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, police and local media said.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said one white male suspect was dead at the scene. He declined to comment on what led to the third major mass shooting to hit Florida in the last two years.

Dozens of ambulances and police cars flooded into The Jacksonville Landing, a waterfront dining, entertainment and shopping site in the city's downtown, after several shots rang out on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

The shooting took place during a regional qualifier for the Madden 19 online game tournament at the GLHF Game Bar inside a Chicago Pizza restaurant, according to the venue's website.

The bar was livestreaming the competition when the gunfire started, according to video of the stream 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.

One Twitter user, Drini Gjoka, said he was taking part in the tournament and was shot in the thumb.

"Worst day of my life," Gjoka wrote on Twitter. "I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second."

The Los Angeles Times reported the shooter was a gamer who was competing in the tournament and lost. Citing messages from another player in the room, the Times said the gunman appeared to target several victims before killing himself. Reuters could not immediately confirm that account of events.

The Florida shooting occurs amid a debate about U.S. 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.

The sheriff's office said many people were transported to hospital, and its deputies found many others hiding in locked areas at The Landing.


Six victims were taken to Jacksonville's UF Health Hospital, five of them in stable condition and one in serious condition, hospital staff said.

A spokesman for Jacksonville's Memorial Hospital said it was treating three victims, all of whom were in stable condition.

Jacksonville, on Florida's Atlantic Coast, is about 35 miles south of the Georgia state line.

Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican who is challenging longtime Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in November's election, said he had offered to provide local authorities with any state resources they might need.

Marco Rubio, U.S. senator from Florida, said both the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were coordinating with local authorities to provide assistance.

President Donald Trump has been briefed and is monitoring the situation in Jacksonville, the White House said.

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.

"This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved," the company said on Twitter. (Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales, Devika Krishna Kumar and Maria Caspani; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Chris Reese)





WTF is it with Florida here lately?

More like wtf is up with the world lately. If its not someone gunning down people, its someone running people over with a van.

These things are happening on a monthly basis....No value of life anymore.

Suspect has been identified as David Katz:

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Photo of Katz:

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Articles are saying he opened fire after getting knocked out of the tournament.

Are they going to start blaming video games and football now?

Screamingophelia wrote:

Are they going to start blaming video games and football now?

Most likely, I wouldn't be surprised if they try and blame this on the Incels as well.

[Insert comment disparaging millennials here]

OMG!!! BAN ASSAULT SPORTS GAMES!!!

Rage quitting taken to the next level. I'm mad i lost a game, gonna shoot some people, like what a retard, it's a fuckin' game, who gives a shit?

Someone must take life and video games too seriously, damn.

If i'm incorrect, correct me.

let me guess...hes a lone wolf and mentally ill?

Oldmare wrote:

let me guess...hes a lone wolf and mentally ill?

Well they usually are in these cases.

I do not have much to say about this incident atm due to the lack of information about the perpetrator as of right now. However, I will say this: The competitive video gaming community is becoming socially toxic and violent like the competitive sports community. His motive could have been simply due to him losing and throwing a temper tantrum or it could be something far more sinister. This is the first mass shooting that has happened in a few months that has really been on my mental radar for the simple fact that it happened at an unusual venue.

Wirely wrote:

The competitive video gaming community is becoming socially toxic and violent like the competitive sports community.

I agree with this, it's a good thing i don't compete in tournaments despite my father wanting to because i don't like how the competitive video game community has become.

20 something year old white shooter- Check
Shooting in America - Check

^ The guy's appearance reminds me of Adam Lanza

Here's some more photos of him:

Spoiler:

Here's videos of him playing video games

Spoiler:

If i find more, i'll post it on here.

haydenschool wrote:

^ The guy's appearance reminds me of Adam Lanza

You're dead on with that, he really does look like Adam Lanza.

Edit: I just realized something both him and Lanza had in common, both had the word bread in their usernames, lanza had KaynBread as a username on Combat Arms and this shooter had bread as a username. Not saying he was inspired or looked up to Lanza, just pointing out something they have in common.

Its no wonder he lost, he used the Bills.

He took rage quitting to the next level!!!!

James411 wrote:

He took rage quitting to the next level!!!!

Damn straight, that's exactly what i thought when i read the wikipedia article. I also wrote the same thing too, but it's ok, at least we both agree.

I think back in 2007 there was this boy who strangled his friend with an xbox controller after he lost at madden.

James411 wrote:

I think back in 2007 there was this boy who strangled his friend with an xbox controller after he lost at madden.

That's ridiculous, like people take video games profusely seriously, like it's just a game, it's not like your life is on the line if you fail.

You could say he ragequit.

Don't worry everyone, Kiwi Farms is on the case, they'll track down every embarrassing moment this guy had online and expose it to the whole world.

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W.A.R. wrote:

More like wtf is up with the world lately. If its not someone gunning down people, its someone running people over with a van.

These things are happening on a monthly basis....No value of life anymore.

Sadly I agree wholeheartedly with you.

QuestionMark wrote:

Don't worry everyone, Kiwi Farms is on the case, they'll track down every embarrassing moment this guy had online and expose it to the whole world.

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This brings a whole new meaning to the term stream sniping.

Killing people over madden is just a pathetic of a motive as killing people because you wanna live as a cartoon ghost girl forever.

UncontinuedProcess wrote:

This brings a whole new meaning to the term stream sniping.

Killing people over madden is just a pathetic of a motive as killing people because you wanna live as a cartoon ghost girl forever. 

Agreed.

I'm still trying to read through all the articles on this. But has anyone found anything on a motive, OTHER then he lost? Like maybe he was betting on it and lost money or something like that?

UncontinuedProcess wrote:

This brings a whole new meaning to the term stream sniping. 

Hahahaha.

I wonder what gun he used.

InsaneIntruder wrote:

I wonder what gun he used.

It was confirmed to be a Handgun, although I'm not sure what Calibre or make it was.

UncontinuedProcess wrote:

This brings a whole new meaning to the term stream sniping.

Killing people over madden is just a pathetic of a motive as killing people because you wanna live as a cartoon ghost girl forever.  

At least he wasn't cucked by a sofa. 

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

W.A.R. wrote:

More like wtf is up with the world lately. If its not someone gunning down people, its someone running people over with a van.

These things are happening on a monthly basis....No value of life anymore.

Sadly I agree wholeheartedly with you.

Hey if you think it's bad now just look up some descriptions of Medieval torture devices and you'll be singing a different tune.

QuestionMark wrote:

Hey if you think it's bad now just look up some descriptions of Medieval torture devices and you'll be singing a different tune.

I have indeed researched that in years past, and I will say that the Pear of Anguish/Pear of Despair is horrific.

But then again most everything back then was, as pain was the name of the game.

Metokur already has a video up about this guy.

Jollyhelpful wrote:

Metokur already has a video up about this guy.

Well he's not wrong.

David "Madden Madman" Katz

He rage quitted but still managed a low score. For someone obsessed with games, he failed to get a high score.

Jollyhelpful wrote:

Metokur already has a video up about this guy.

Now if only Jim can make that damn video about William Atchison.

Ziamber II wrote:

He rage quitted but still managed a low score. For someone obsessed with games, he failed to get a high score.

See it's because he was playing Madden, if this happened at, say, a CS:GO event his score would probably be better. 

QuestionMark wrote:

Jollyhelpful wrote:

Metokur already has a video up about this guy.

Now if only Jim can make that damn video about William Atchison.

I think he might've unfortunately scrapped that one, he mentioned he had a video done and scrapped it and i'm guessing it's that one, but i could be wrong.

He does look just a bit like Adam Lanza as some have mentioned. Now conspiracy theorists will probably claim that he is Lanza and alive.

I am not surprised by this shooting.

Devil wrote:

He does look just a bit like Adam Lanza as some have mentioned. Now conspiracy theorists will probably claim that he is Lanza and alive.

I am not surprised by this shooting.

.

No, Sam Hyde did it again.

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

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One Twitter user, Drini Gjoka, said he was taking part in the tournament and was shot in the thumb.

Yeah, no wonder why this guy failed to get the high score. Shooting someone's thumb is just retarded.

Halcyon666 wrote:

QuestionMark wrote:

Jollyhelpful wrote:

Metokur already has a video up about this guy.

Now if only Jim can make that damn video about William Atchison.

I think he might've unfortunately scrapped that one, he mentioned he had a video done and scrapped it and i'm guessing it's that one, but i could be wrong.  

Ah, that would be a shame if true.

This man played and beat Katz and said he had been acting weird all weekend. Wore the same clothes, wore sunglasses, didn't really talk to anyone etc.

Also he said he didn't think Katz losing was a factor in the shooting.

They will blame video games I see it coming from a fucking mile away!

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

Also he said he didn't think Katz losing was a factor in the shooting.

Agreed. Him losing wasn't the factor. This dude clearly had other shit going on, as with any other killer. Like if being bullied or losing in games (in general, not just video games) truly drove you to murder, humanity would've died off a long-ass time ago.

I mean, look at his fucking 2017 championship photo. Anyone else would be so elated and wouldn't dare bother hiding it (not that you'd even be able to pull it off, no doubt) but the dude looked so miserable. He suffered from depression and tried to escape it through gaming, it clearly shows. But unfortunately depression can't just be escaped or medicated (at least through illicit drugs). But this still doesn't justify murder.

Edit: I also realize depression wasn't the only factor either. It's always a perfect storm.

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BALTIMORE (AP) — The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida video game tournament had previously been hospitalized for mental illness, according to court records in his home state of Maryland reviewed by The Associated Press.

Divorce filings from the parents of 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore say that as an adolescent he was twice hospitalized in psychiatric facilities and was prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medications.

The records show Katz's parents disagreed on how to care for their troubled son, with his father claiming his estranged wife was exaggerating symptoms of mental illness as part of their long and bitter custody battle. The couple divorced in 2007.

Katz opened fire Sunday at a gaming bar inside a collection of restaurants and shops in Jacksonville. He killed two people and wounded 10 others before fatally shooting himself during the "Madden NFL 19" tournament, authorities said.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams has declined to comment on the gunman's motive.

The suspect's father, Richard Katz of Baltimore, and his mother, Elizabeth Katz of Columbia, Maryland, did not respond to phone messages Sunday or Monday. Efforts by the AP to reach them at their homes were also unsuccessful.

The Howard County, Maryland, divorce filings say that David Katz played video games obsessively as a young adolescent, often refusing to go to school or to bathe. Elizabeth Katz, a toxicologist at the Department of Agriculture, said she confiscated some of her son's gaming equipment after finding him playing in the wee hours.

"His hair would very often go unwashed for days. When I took his gaming equipment controllers away so he couldn't play at 3 or 4 in the morning, I'd get up and find that he was just walking around the house in circles," the mother said, according to a transcript in the court files.

At one point, she put his gaming controllers in her bedroom behind a locked door and he punched a hole in the door, she said.

Elizabeth Katz said her youngest son had increasing difficulty concentrating following his parents' split. A judge awarded custody of the boy to his mother, with visitation rights to the father.

At times David "curled up into a ball," refused to attend school and sobbed, she said. She asserted that her ex-husband instructed David not to take Risperidal — an anti-psychotic medication prescribed to him. The father claimed in court filings that David was not "diagnosed as psychotic."

He missed large stretches of school while under his mother's supervision. He was admitted to the nearby Sheppard Pratt mental health system for about 12 days in late 2007. Court documents say a psychiatrist at that time administered antidepressants. He later spent about 13 days at Potomac Ridge, a mental health services facility in Rockville.

Richard Katz, a NASA engineer, said his ex-wife had "an obsession with using mental health professionals and in particular psychiatric drugs to perform the work that parents should naturally do." He said she routinely gave false information to mental health care providers. He described one incident in which his son was handcuffed by police after locking himself in his mother's car in an attempt to avoid going to a mental health appointment with her.

Federal law requires gun buyers to disclose whether they have ever been involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Maryland state law also prohibits the sale or transfer of a gun to someone who has been diagnosed with a mental disorder or who has a history of violent behavior.

In recent weeks, Katz legally purchased the two handguns he carried from a gun store in Baltimore, the sheriff said.

The sheriff, who said Katz did not fire both weapons, did not say whether Katz disclosed his past hospitalizations on the form for the required federal background check.

By the time Katz was 15, the divorce records show, the father asserted that Elizabeth Katz "routinely" called the police for "trivial matters." In a transcript of a 2010 phone call, the mother phoned a 911 dispatcher, accusing David of "abusing" her by coming home late after a visitation with his father. She then insisted he was "assaulting" her by trying to gain control of the cable cord to the television. She complained to the dispatcher that he was rolling his eyes and laughing.

"You'll roll your eyes. Fine. You'll pay. Where are you going to be tomorrow?" she said in the transcript, addressing her son. The dispatcher encouraged her not to say anything further until a police officer arrived. He was eventually sent to a wilderness therapy program in Utah called RedCliff Ascent for nearly 100 days.

According to the father's version of events, the relationship between mother and son got increasingly worse.

Elizabeth Katz put David's clothes in suitcases on at least two occasions and asked him to leave, including once on Mother's Day in 2007. In court filings, the father asserted that David "routinely expresses his anger" toward her. He claimed that when David was staying with him, the boy showed no signs of behavioral problems and was "generally lively, communicative" and "playful."

In a 2010 letter, David Katz wrote a letter to a magistrate judge saying he wanted to live with his father and describing his mother as "pretty crazy." He said she called the police to the family's home about 20 times and "gets drunk." He blamed her for his poor grades.

Despite the problems, Katz graduated from Hammond High School in Columbia in 2011. He went on to attend the University of Maryland, though he did not earn a degree.

Katz used the gamer tags "Bread" or "Sliced Bread" when competing. The game's maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner.

On the Madden competition circuit, Katz was known to barely speak to fellow gamers and sometimes exhibited an erratic playing style, according to other competitors.

"We've always known he was a little off and stuff just because he wasn't social at all," Shay Kivlen, 21, of Seattle, said Monday in an interview.




Well things are becoming clearer. Katz is looking more Lanza-ish as everything is coming out.

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Tragic incidents seem to have taken a dive a little too deep among the youngsters for some time now. The recent Jacksonville shooting has once again saddened the hearts, however, it does not mean that the authorities can dwell over it. According to the recent statement by the state police, Jacksonville shooting suspect was allegedly targeting specific gamers.

Many are calling him racist while other say he was mentally ill. There are reports of his previous struggle with mental health and parental issues.

After he lost the game to opposing players, he went back and returned with a gun to shoot the winners. More than one aspect contributed to his actions but video games are being attacked by the state media.

It’s an unfortunate incident that took place in a gaming tournament. So does that necessarily mean that video games are to be used as a scapegoat, in order to slip away the negligence of the authorities, let alone the whole state?

Talking to the reporters, Jacksonville’s Sheriff Mike Williams said.

The suspect clearly targeted other gamers. The suspect walked past patrons who were in other parts of the business and focused his attention on the gamers.


There is no argument over the fact Jacksonville shooting suspect was targetting specific gamers. Because just moments back he had lost to the same gamer and the rest of the casualties were just collateral damage.

According to Sheriff Williams, Jacksonville shooting suspect David Katz had in his possessions two handguns, a .45mm, a 9 mm and considerable ammunition. Now hold that thought for a moment and digest the fact that this same Jacksonville shooting Suspect had a history of mental illness, as well as police visits.

So two things, first the state gun laws are to be taken a closer look at perhaps, and the second which actually is the proof of negligence on part of the medical institutions, as well as the security authorities, who allowed such a mind to own a weapon.

This is not the first time such a situation has stuck us with the same argument as always. If you guys would remember, the Texas Lt. Gov also blamed the gaming industry for Santa Fe Shooting as well, in fact, a similar statement was also passed by Kentucky Governor regarding Florida school shooting.

There is always one aspect ignored in all of these shooting and that is the easy access to guns. Unless and until gun control laws are strict, it is a with a heavy heart that such incidents will tend to take place.

Now adding to that the other big aspect is the mental health, it is with shame that most of the suspects that have participated in such violent acts have had a record of mental illness. So perhaps the negligence or poor anticipation of the medical experts, to not see such fragility in a patient and not being able to preempt such scenario, is also a huge fault.

There also have been multiple scientific research’s that have sought out to find the answer, to this debate and they most of them deem video games, to not be responsible.

Video Games are played all around the world, however, only US seems to encounter such situations. Perhaps it is time for the country to own up to their internal institutional issues as well as the gun control laws, rather using video games as a scapegoat.