Jacksonville Mass Shooting: Gunman opens fire at video game tournament
Update: A suspect is reportedly dead after the shooting killed and injured multiple people.
Police are reporting that a mass shooting broke out during the Madden NFL video game tournament in Jacksonville, FL on Aug. 26 and there are already believed to be at least four fatalities, according to the Mirror. The tournament was being livestreamed on the popular gaming website Twitch and video footage obtained by the outlet shows two men playing the game when all of a sudden shots can be heard in the background. The stream then cuts out but the audio can still be heard and people seem to be screaming out in pain.
Shortly after the shooting began, Jacksonville police took to Twitter to warn people in the area. “Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY,” the tweet read. One Twitter user also shared the disturbing footage of the livestream along with a tweet that read, “Oh my god someone just shot up the Jacksonville madden tournament. This is unreal I hope everyone is okay.”
The event was a qualifying one for the tournament and was going on at the GLHF Game Bar at the Jacksonville Landing marketplace, which has stores, bars and restaurants in the downtown area of the city.
Federal law enforcement officials have been monitoring the situation and nearby stores and restaurants such as Hooters are reportedly on lockdown since the shots ran out. We’ll be updating this story with more information as it is available.
