Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Sunday, August 26, 2018

BREAKING: Jacksonville shooting: Several killed at video game tournament

Police cars block a street leading to the Jacksonville Landing area in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, 26 August 2018Image copyrightAFP PHOTO/WJXT TV
Image captionPolice cars blocked off approaches to the area
by Rochelle van Amber and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Jacksonville, Florida
Several people have been killed in a shooting at an entertainment complex in Jacksonville, Florida, police say.
The suspected gunman, a white male, was dead at the scene and no other suspects were being sought, the sheriff's office said.
An unspecified number of people were also wounded in the incident.
The shooting happened during a video game tournament being held at Jacksonville Landing, a large shopping, entertainment and dining complex.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said he was being updated about the situation.
The state has seen several mass shootings in recent years, including at the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, when 49 people died, and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland in February this year, when 17 people were killed.

What happened?

Gamers were playing the American football game Madden at the GLHF Game Bar in Jacksonville Landing when shooting erupted on Sunday afternoon.
GLHF Game Bar Facebook account cover imageImage copyrightGLHF GAME BAR
Image captionThe incident was reported at a game tournament in a restaurant
Many shots can be heard in a video that appears to show the event being streamed online on the Twitch platform.
Drini Gjoka, a 19-year-old player taking part, described the shooting in a series of posts on Twitter, calling it "the worst day of [his] life".
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He tweeted that a bullet had hit his thumb.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, a gamer opened fire after losing, then killed himself. The report, which quoted messages from another gamer, could not immediately be confirmed.
People fled for shelter when the shooting began and police appealed to them to stay calm as Swat teams checked the area for possible accomplices before it was confirmed that only one gunman had been involved.
The local Sheriff, Mike Williams, told reporters: "We have no outstanding suspects at this time. No outstanding suspects. We have one suspect in this case. He is deceased at the scene at this point. He is a white male and we are still working to confirm his identity."

What do we know of the victims?

Sheriff Williams said there were an unspecified number of dead at the scene.
"We also have injured people at the hospital and we will release counts later on," he added. "We don't have a count for you today."
Local media report that at least four people were killed, and at least 11 others were injured.
According to Reuters news agency, six people were brought to Jacksonville's UF Health Hospital. Five were in stable condition and one in serious condition.
EA Sports, the company that owns Madden and approved the competition, said it was working with the authorities to gather the facts.
It sent its sympathies to everyone involved in the "horrible" situation.
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