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Mass Shooting in Jacksonville – Updates

UPDATE 09:50 EST: Police are treating Katz’s death as a suicide, suggesting that after shooting several people, he turned the gun on himself.

UPDATE: The two deceased victims have been named as Taylor “SpotMePlzzz” Robertson, and Eli “Trueboy” Clayton.” Both young men were attending the Madden gaming tournament as players.

UPDATE: Katz’s family home has been secured by the FBI.

UPDATE: Three people, including the shooter, have been confirmed dead, with a further 11 injured.

UPDATE: The shooter has been identified as a 24-year-old gamer, David Katz.

A mass shooting has left four people dead and 11 injured at the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida during a livestreaming of a new video game.  One suspect is dead and is presumed to be one of the gamers in the tournament.

Reports from local authorities indicate an unknown amount of people are sheltering in place as the search continues for additional suspects.  SWAT and other law enforcement agencies have blockaded all ingress and egress with the exception of the St. Johns River.  Law enforcement has the task of sweeping over 126,000 feet in the building for survivors and suspects:

“We are finding many people hiding in locked areas at The Landing.  We ask you to stay calm, stay where you are hiding. SWAT is doing a methodical search inside The Landing. We will get to you. Please don’t come running out.”

The sheriff’s office immediately posted on social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook, to warn people to stay away from the Jacksonville Landing:

“Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time.”

“We can’t stress enough to stay away. Many blocks away.”

Ryan Alemon was in the bar when at least one gunman opened fire and said of the shooting,  “Everyone was running, they were dropping because they were getting shot. I heard yelling, I heard ‘Help me, I’m shot.’”

Alemon hid in bathroom before fleeing Chicago Pizza bar when the gunshots ceased.

A gamer, Grini Gjoka, was grazed in the thumb, but tweeted “away from the scene and safe.”

The injured have been transported to local trauma centers, and Memorial Hospital is reporting they are treating three victims. All in stable condition.

University of Florida Health reports six victims at their facility – one in serious condition and five in good condition.

Local CBS affiliate has obtained a video of the shooting clearly delineating the number of shots fired and the panic of competitors and spectators screaming.  One competitor interviewed was shot in the thumb and thankful to be alive.

The site of the shooting is situated in a heavily populated riverfront shopping center in Jacksonville, which contains restaurants and shops.

This latest violence comes on the heels of two deadly shootings in Jacksonville.  Just last Friday, at shooting at a Raines High School football game left one person dead and two injured.  And seven-year-old, Heidy Rivas Villanueva, was killed by a stray bullet in a parking lot.

Keep checking back for live updates on this shooting.

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