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Shooting At Madden Tournament In Florida Leaves Three Dead, Including The Shooter

Mass shooting confirmed by authorities in Jacksonville, Florida.

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An active shooter has attacked this weekend's Madden NFL 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Florida at Chicago Pizza, the city's Sheriff's department has confirmed.

[Update 3] The names of the two victims have been released, according to WJAX-TV (via CBS News). They are 24-year-old Taylor Robertson of Ballard, West Virginia and 21-year-old Eli Clayton of Woodland Hills, California. Robertson was a member of Dot City Gaming, which memorialized his passing on Twitter. Clayton, a former high school football player, was also remembered on Twitter by his former team.

[Update 2] During a media briefing, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams shared more key details on the tragedy. He confirmed that 911 calls began to come in regarding a shooting at the Chicago Pizza at Jacksonville Landing at 1:34 PM. At 1:36 PM, officers were on the scene, and shortly thereafter, businesses in the area were locked down. SWAT and bomb teams were on-site, Williams said.

Williams stated that there were three total fatalities, including the alleged shooter. The Sheriff said the shooter was a white male who took his own life. Williams confirmed that the alleged shooter, a 24-year-old from Baltimore, was in Jacksonville for the Madden tournament taking place. However, Williams said he can’t yet share more details on a potential motive.

Williams also confirmed that the alleged shooter carried out the violence with at least one handgun. Authorities located his vehicle; and they believe he stayed locally, potentially at a hotel. Williams asked the public to send in any information they might have.

Nine victims were transported to area hospitals, seven of whom had gunshot wounds. Additionally, two further gunshot victims took themselves to the hospital for treatment. They are all in stable condition at this time, Williams said. In total, there were 14 victims; 12 had gunshot wounds and two had “other injuries” sustained when fleeing the restaurant. The number may change as authorities become aware of other people who might have taken themselves to the hospital, Williams said.

Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry also spoke at the press briefing. He said local, state, and federal agencies are working together on the case. He said tragic events like this are "all too common."

Additionally, the NFL and other video game companies released statements.

[Update 1] The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office addressed the media at 1:30 pm PST/4:30 pm EST. Sheriff Mike Williams confirmed the mall has been cleared of victims and witnesses. There is one suspect, a white male, who died at the scene; he has not yet been identified. Counts of those injured and killed during the attack will be announced later today.

More information is expected in a few hours as the investigation continues.

The original story is below:

Jacksonville police have declared the attack a mass shooting and are urging everyone to stay away from the area for safety purposes. CBS News reports roads are being blocked off as authorities respond to the incident.

The event, part of the Madden Championship Series by EA, was hosted in the Jacksonville Landing Mall this weekend. It was part of the Madden Classic tournament; Jacksonville was a satellite qualifier tournament for the Las Vegas finals on October 11 and 13.

A Twitch stream of the tournament caught the audio of the shooting as it occurred. Two professional players are seen competing when their feed is quickly turned off as gunshots are heard. The audio continues as the attack unfolds. The clip has since been removed from the platform.

"One suspect is dead at the scene, unknown at this time if we have a second suspect. Searches are being conducted," reports the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Twitter.

As more updates come, we'll continue to update this story.

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