One of the victims of the Jacksonville shooting has been identified.
Elijah Clayton, 21, of West Hills, California, is the first victim to be identified in the shooting at the Jacksonville Madden NFL tournament on August 26. He’s remembered as “kind and genuine,” and a master of the sport both on field and onscreen. Better known by his handle Trueboy, he was actually so good at Madden NFL that he made a career for himself playing the game in tournaments. Unfortunately, he was at one such tournament on August 26, when he was shot by a fellow gamer, allegedly David Katz, who had been eliminated from the Madden tournament earlier in the day.
Elijah was the gamer seen in the Twitch live stream that captured the shooting via audio. He can be seen playing the game while smiling wide while scoring a touchdown. A red laser dot appears on his sweatshirt. The live stream then cuts to a kickoff return, and 11 gunshots can be heard as people start screaming. You can listen to it here, but warning — it’s incredibly disturbing.
Damon Kirk, one of Elijah’s gaming friends, told the Los Angeles Times that he was “the best Madden player this year. He probably would have walked away [from the Jacksonville tournament] with a half a million dollars. He had just placed second at a Madden NFL tournament called Muthead, where he earned part of the $200,000 prize.
Fellow gamers paid tribute to “sweet Elijah” online after his tragic death. 2018 Madden Bowl Champion Shay Kivlen tweeted, “RIP @True__818 Elijah Clayton. One of my best friends in life. I talked to u almost everyday for the last 5 years. U were one of the most kind and genuine people I’ve ever met. I love u like a brother. I’m gonna miss hearing you laugh everyday and seeing your genuine smile.”
The other victims in the Madden NFL tournament shooting — one dead and others injured — have yet to be identified. HollywoodLife will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
