Laser dot appears on gamer’s chest, then the shooting begins, in video of deadly Florida attack
Three people are dead, including laser-targeted player Eli Clayton and suspected gunman David Katz, after the attack on a video game tournament in Jacksonville that was being streamed online
A red laser dot appeared on the chest of a video gamer at a tournament as it was being live-streamed from a Florida mall, moments before shooting erupted and the player was killed.
The gunman who opened fire at a busy Jacksonville, Florida, pizzeria during the competition – killing two gamers and wounding up to nine others before killing himself – has been identified as a player who had been defeated earlier in the tournament.
The suspect, David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, sometimes played under the name “Bread” or “RavensChamp” while competing in the national circuit of professional gamers who play “Madden NFL 19,” the popular football game.
Officials said Katz opened fire at the Chicago Pizza in the Jacksonville Landing shopping plaza around 1.30pm Sunday during a regional qualifying round for the Madden NFL Championship series, a national tournament.
The shooter “targeted a few people” before killing himself, according to Stephen “Steveyj” Javaruski, one of the competitors, who took shelter in a bathroom.
The two slain gamers have been identified as Elijah Clayton and Taylor Robertson – better known to their competitors and fans in the gaming world by the handles they adopted for the screen.