SHOOTING IN JACKSONVILLE LEAVES 3 DEAD INCLUDING THE GUNMAN

Shooting in Jacksonville leaves 3 dead including the gunman

Drini Gjoka tweeted his excitement for the Madden 19 video game tournament in downtown Jacksonville: “can’t wait to compete.”  About 15 hours later, Gjoka tweeted:  “The tourney just got shot up. I’m leaving and never coming back.”  Two people and the gunman were killed and several others wounded Sunday after a shooting rampage at the video game tourney at Chicago Pizza.  Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said the shooter, who is believed to be David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, was among the dead and had taken his own life.  The sheriff’s office said there were “multiple fatalities,” and many other victims were taken to hospitals. According to media reports, several more were wounded at the GLHF Game Bar.   A live Twitch feed from the tournament was underway when the shooting took place, and the audio feed was interrupted by the sound of several gunshots.  Among the injured are several competitors and a Complexity pro Madden player.  Here are the victims of the Jacksonville mass shooting at Madden tournament.  Multiple fatalities occurred in a shooting at a Madden 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Fla.

Those killed at the shooting

Taylor Robertson, 27, of Ballard, West Virginia. The gaming community, as well as close friends, posted about Robertson on social media.  EA Sports’ bio of Robertson: “Winner of last season’s Madden Classic, SpotmePlzzz has the skill to completely take over any Madden tournament. It’s been a while since he’s won an EA Major, but his potent offensive talent paired with his skill on defense makes him one of the toughest opponents in competitive Madden.”

Eli Clayton, 22, of Woodland Hills, California.

This is EA Sports’ bio of Clayton, who goes by “True” in the esports community.  “True is consistently one of the best in competitive Madden. He’s a frequent face in EA Majors, but has been the victim of some early exits. This season, True didn’t make it beyond the groups stage of the Classic, didn’t qualify for the Challenge, and was eliminated just one game into the Club Championship. Despite a rough season, True remains one of the best around and can potentially win it all when it’s done.

Taylor Poindexter of Chicago was at the gaming tournament at Jacksonville Landing with her boyfriend, Marquis Williams, during the shooting. She describes being injured in the rush to escape and crawling to safety.  They were seated in a nearby restaurant when the shooter began firing. The first shots caught them off guard, they said.  “We were talking, getting ready to order a pizza,” Williams said. “The first shot, everybody just turned around and looked. The second, third, fourth shots, everyone just took off and ran for the exits.”  As they joined the fray, Poindexter said they caught sight of the shooter.  “We saw him, had two hands on the gun, walking back, just popping rounds,” she said.  In the rush to escape, Williams clipped his leg against a chair or a pole and Poindexter was bowled by the crowd, injuring her ankle.  “We crawled out,” Poindexter said. “My boyfriend made it out before me. By the time I see him, I’m calling out to him. It was hard for me to walk.”  Hobbling, they fought the crowd and barricaded themselves in the bathroom of a Cinco De Mayo restaurant, away from the shots, where they awaited police.

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