A Mass Shooting Took Place at Jacksonville’s Madden 19 Tournament
A mass shooting at the Jacksonville, Florida Madden 19 Tournament has left multiple people dead. As of now, four people are reported killed and at least 15 shot.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed “multiple fatalities” and “many” people transported away from the scene.
CompLexity Gaming, a company that sponsored one of the event’s players, sent out a tweet that claims 19-year-old gamer Drini Gjoka was “grazed in the hand” before making it to safety.
“The tourney just got shot up,” Gjoka tweeted just after 1:30 p.m. “I’m leaving and never coming back.”
The tourney just got shot up. Im leavinng and never coming back
— Drini Gjoka (@YoungDrini) August 26, 2018
Danny Flaherty, a 22-year-old gamer from the United Kingdom, reported that once the shooting started “my only thoughts at the time was to run.”
“We have been informed by the police that we cannot discuss the information as it’s not a murder scene,” he said later.
A Twitch live stream of the competition showed a red laser sight appearing on a competitor’s sweatshirt before the camera moved and gunshots rang through the air. It’s not yet known if the competitor in the video was injured.
Video from the shooting at Madden NFL 19 Tournament Whilst
It was live on twitch. pic.twitter.com/sEdS0AzAIK— Péndola ???? (@nowfeather) August 26, 2018
In the video, a person can be heard asking, “What are you shooting with?”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported to the scene, and Governor Rick Scott reported that he connected with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to “offer any state resources.”
We are aware of an incident at a sanctioned Madden Championship Series competition in Jacksonville. We are working with authorities to gather facts at this stage.
— Electronic Arts (@EA) August 26, 2018