Jacksonville in Florida: man shoots at video game tournament around

In a Florida shopping and entertainment center, a man opened fire: two people were shot dead and eleven others injured, Sheriff Mike Williams said Monday night. In addition, the alleged shooter is dead, he shot himself. It is said to be a 24-year-old man from the city of Baltimore, which is about one thousand kilometers away. The motive was initially unclear. There were no other suspects.

The shots were fired during the video game event "Madden 19 Online Game", in which video gamers compete virtually in an American football game. Sheriff Williams said the incident happened in one of the restaurants in the center. Many people had hidden in the building complex; they were called to dial the emergency call and report their position.

Multiple fatalities at the scene, many transported. #TheLandingMassShooting https://t.co/qBJvkaO7xT

The tournament was held in the GLHF Game Bar, which is adjacent to a pizzeria. The competition was also broadcast live on the Internet. On a video, which is to come from the tournament, shots and screams can be heard in the background.

The newspaper LA Times reported, citing a participant, that the shooter had participated in the tournament and lost. The police did not confirm that at first. Sheriff Williams said the alleged shooter had been in Jacksonville for the tournament.

Madden is the official video game of the National Football League - the professional league of American football - and extremely popular in the US. The winner of the tournament receives according to media reports 5000 US dollars.

First reactions from US politicians

US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation in the city of Jacksonville, his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. "We're watching the situation," she said. After similar incidents, there had been heated debate in the recent past about the lax gun laws in the US. Trump had been criticized for not bringing any aggravation on his way.

The shopping and entertainment center named "The Landing" is located in the center of the city on the St. Johns River. Jacksonville is located in northern Florida and has about 880,000 inhabitants. Florida Senator Marco Rubio said Florida Federal Bureau of Investigation had intervened. Florida Governor Rick Scott said Trump had offered him a phone call.

The state was last hit by a massacre on February 14, when a 19-year-old shot and killed 14 teenagers and three adults at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to be all involved.

The computer game company "Electronic Arts", which produces computer games and supported the tournament in Jacksonville, wrote on Twitter: "This is a terrible situation and our compassion goes to all who are affected by the incident."

I never want to take anything for granted ever again. Life can be short in a second

Drini Gjoka, who competed for the Complexity Gaming team, was injured on the thumb, according to his director Jason Lake. He could have got himself to safety. 19-year-old Gjoka said on Twitter he "will never take anything for granted again, life can be over in a second".