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Awful: Mass Shooting In Jacksonville Leaves Two Dead, At Least Nine Wounded

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  August 26, 2018 2:53 PM

We have some tragic news coming out of Florida. Police are reporting a mass shooting incident in Jacksonville. Three people are reported dead, including the gunman, with at least another nine wounded. The incident occurred at a gaming tournament. SWAT teams are clearing the area. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is advising people, including the media to stay away as far as possible. SWAT teams are clearing the area. Police are advising those who had taken shelter to not comerunnin out at the sign of SWAT teams approaching their area (via News4Jax):

At least four people are dead and several others wounded Sunday afternoon in a mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing.

Jacksonville police said one suspect is dead and SWAT is doing a methodical search of Landing and the immediate area to make sure there are no additional gunmen.

Officers are finding people hiding in locked places and people are urged to stay calm and where they are and not come running out.

"We will get to you. Please don't come running out," said JSO via Twitter. 

 Police urged everyone to stay away from the area because it is not safe.

Witnesses said they saw several people being taken out on stretchers. 

[…]

Early reports say the shooting began inside a game room at the Chicago Pizza during a Madden 19 tournament. Several gunshots can be heard on the audio of a livestream of the tournament.

A woman who said her son inside the game said she he was in the room when a man pulled a gun and started shooting.

UPDATE: One suspect is reported dead by police. A livestream of the Madden 19 gaming tournament prior to the shooting was posted to Drudge. Two men are seen playing the game before you hear gunshots in the background. The connection is lost, but you can still hear audio, with one person yelling, "oh, f**k what did he shoot me with before more gunshots and screams are heard. You can watch the video here. [WARNING: graphic content]:

UPDATE: Shooter was a gamer that was competing in the tournament and lost. Police has secured shooting scene. Matt Pearce of the LA Times reported that the shooter committed suicide after the attack. The National Football League also put out a statement, offering condolences to all those impacted by this tragedy. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is en route to Jacksonville now. Sheriff Mike Williams held a press conference at 4:30 P.M. EST. He said of the wounded, three were win stable condition, five more in good condition, and one in critical condition.

In video captured from the livestreaming network Twitch and posted on social media, shots can be heard as footage of a kickoff return is replaced by a the message “controller disconnected.”

[…]

The shooter was a gamer who was competing in the tournament and lost, according to Steven “Steveyj” Javaruski, one of the competitors.

The shooter “targeted a few people” and shot at least five victims before killing himself, Javaruski told The Times in a direct message on Twitter. The gunman killed two or three people “that I saw,” Javaruski said.

In a public tweet, he added that he was escorted out by police after the shooting.

“I am literally so lucky,” gamer Drini Gjoka said in a tweet. “The bullet hit my thumb.”

He added: “Worst day of my life.”

UPDATE: Shooter identified as 24-year-old David Katz. He was the Madden tournament champion in 2017.