What we know about the Madden 19 mass shooter: “He's not here to make friends”

A 24-year-old gamer opened fire during a Madden NFL 19 qualifying tournament in a Jacksonville, Florida, mall on Sunday, killing two people and wounding 11 others in the process before he turned the gun on himself. Here’s what we know:

Anywhere from 60 to 80 people were crowded in the confined gaming space in the back of a restaurant at Jacksonville Landing to watch the $5,000 tournament when they heard gunfire, according to ABC News. People watching the broadcast on the internet streaming platform Twitch heard the pops too; video and audio of the shooting soon made its way across [social media. ](https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1033782205443661824)The competition was a regional qualifier to enter an October final round in Las Vegas for the championship series of Madden NFL 19, according to the Washington Post. That tournament offers $25,000 for the first-place winner.

The Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office identified David Katz, a Baltimore resident, as their suspect.

Katz reportedly competed under the usernames “Bread” and “RavensChamp,” and was registered to compete in the Jacksonville tournament. He had previously won several such tournaments; the Buffalo Bills tweeted a picture of Katz, congratulating him after he won the Madden 17 Bills Championship in February 2017. Later, when Katz was competing in the Madden Series Championship, an announcer noted Katz’s lack of emotion, adding he’s “all business.”

“You are not going to see much emotion from our guy Bread,” the announcer said. “David Katz keeps to himself. He’s a man of business. He’s not here for the experience . . . he’s not here to make friends. He’s all business, he’s focused, and even to get him to open up to talk to you about anything, it’s like pulling teeth.”

Federal agents swarmed his Baltimore home late Sunday, according to Fox News.Local authorities have not identified a possible motive for the shooting, although the Los Angeles Times reported that Katz began his rampage after losing a game. He was reportedly armed with a handgun that had a laser scope.

Although police have yet to publicly identify the two men who were shot and killed on Sunday, members of the local media and the gaming community have identified the victims as Taylor “spotmeplzzz” Robertson and Eli “Trueboy” Clayton. Robertson, of Ballard, West Virginia, was identified by his sponsor, Dot City Gaming. He was 27 years old, and had previously won the Madden NFL 17 Classic, adding to his career winnings of more than $80,000, according to his EA Sports player profile. He was a husband and father. Clayton hailed from Woodland Hills, California, and was “consistently one of the best in competitive Madden,” according to his player profile.

Game developer EA called the shooting "a senseless act of violence that we strongly condemn. Our most heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of the victims whose lives were taken today and those who were injured."

Florida Gov. Rick Scott appeared to be visiting some of the victims in their hospital beds, according to photos posted on Twitter.

People showed up to the building of a Jacksonville pizza shop Sunday afternoon to compete in the Madden game, or hang out and watch other players. Their event was soon broken up by gunfire and frenzied running.

"We went to the bar to order a pizza, so no more than probably two or three minutes sitting at the bar, we just hear a 'pop' and it sounded like a balloon," Marquis Williams, a gamer who was watching the competition from Chicago Pizza, told ABC News. “But it took a quick second for it to dawn on us that there weren't any balloons anywhere in the restaurant and then we just heard probably two or three more 'pops' and we realized it wasn't anything other than gunshots and we got up and we took off running toward the door.”

Taylor Poindexter, of Chicago, was there with Williams during the shooting and injured her [ankle while escaping. ](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/27/jacksonville-shooting-victims-madden-tournament/1107951002/)Nine people were injured by gunfire, and two were injured trying to flee the Jacksonville Landing. Three patients were taken to the nearby Memorial Hospital and are reportedly in stable conditions. Another six were transported to UF Health Jacksonville, and one was in a serious condition, according to ABC News. All are expected to survive, according to the [Tampa Bay Times. ](https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/Sheriff-Jacksonville-Landing-shooter-kills-2-wounds-9-before-killing-himself-at-video-game-tournament_171231407)Another gamer, Drini Gjoka , said a bullet grazed his thumb. And another gamer said on Twitter that a bullet had grazed his head, adding that he was “traumatized and devastated.” Yet another was heading into surgery Monday morning, worried he’d never play video games again.

Cover: Police tape is seen as law enforcement officials investigate a shooting at the GLHF Game Bar located in the Jacksonville Landing on August 27, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)