FBI Swarm Family Home of Gamer Shooting Suspect

FBI agents swarmed the Baltimore home of the father of the suspect in the video game shooting that left three dead and 11 injured in Jacksonville Florida.

Twenty-four-year-old David Katz of Baltimore is the suspected shooter in an attack Sunday afternoon who apparently turned the gun on himself after opening fire at a restaurant during the Madden 19 NFL video game tournament.

An FBI spokesman, Dave Fitz, confirmed agents had gone to the upscale townhouse home, according to AP, but did not immediately release any other specifics.

Agents wearing bulletproof vests and carrying long guns could be seen inside the home of Katz’s father on Sunday evening near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, according to AP.  Reporters who gathered outside did not see any authorities carrying any bags of evidence outside.

Authorities are trying to establish a motive for the shooting at the Chicago Pizza restaurant and bar in Jacksonville Landing.

Media reports identify victims

Various witnesses are reported to describe Katz as a video gamer who erupted in anger after losing the event.

His car has been impounded by investigators.

While police have not identified the victims, family members told Jacksonville CBS television station WJAX that the two people killed were Eli Clayton and Taylor Robertson—both were video game contestants.

The Miami Herald also identified the victims as Robertson, 27, of Ballard, West Virginia, and Clayton, 22, of Woodland Hills, California.

Robertson, a husband and father, was the winner of the tournament last year and Katz won it the year before, the Herald reported, citing family and friends posting on the Internet.

Taylor Poindexter had traveled from Chicago to attend the tournament with her boyfriend. She said she saw Katz take aim at his victims.

“We did see him, two hands on the gun, walking back, just popping rounds,” Poindexter said, according to Reuters. “I was scared for my life and my boyfriend’s.”

Taylor Poindexter speaks to reporters after witnessing a gunman open fire on gamers participating in a video game tournament outside The Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida August 26, 2018. Reuters/Joey Roulette

Another gamer, Chris “Dubby” McFarland, was hospitalized after a bullet grazed his head. “I feel fine, just a scratch on my head. Traumatized and devastated,” he wrote on Twitter.

Moment Caught on Gaming Live Stream

“All the time you hear about these shootings and pray for everyone involved. Donate money. Raise awareness and do everything you can. But to be in the room getting shot at and seeing your friends dead......man”

Madden 19 maker Electronic Arts Inc said it was working with authorities to gather facts.

“The tragic situation that occurred Sunday in Jacksonville was a senseless act of violence that we strongly condemn,” said a statement by Electronic Arts. “Our most heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of the victims whose lives were taken today and those who were injured.”

The shooting was captured via a live stream of a game of Madden 19.

The bar was livestreaming the football video game competition when the gunfire started, according to video of the stream shared on social media. In the video, players can be seen reacting to the shots and cries can be heard before the footage cuts off.

(Warning: Video contains content that may disturb some - viewer discretion is advised)

“Worst day of my life,” gamer Drini Gjoka wrote on Twitter. “I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second.”

Gjoka added that he was shot in the thumb, describing himself as “literally so lucky.”

Reuters contributed to this report