‘Mass shooting’ at Florida video game tournament: authorities

Two people are dead and one suspect has been killed after a shooting Sunday at a video game tournament at Jacksonville Landing, an entertainment area in the downtown area of Jacksonville, Fla., authorities said.

Nine people were injured by gunshot wound and two were killed, the Jackson Sheriff’s office said on Sunday evening. The suspect, a 24-year-old white male, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  

“Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing,” the city’s sheriff’s department tweeted. “Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY.”

Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY #TheLandingMassShooting

— Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) August 26, 2018

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams at a press conference Sunday afternoon said there are no other suspects in the shooting.

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UF Health Jacksonville, a hospital in the area, said Sunday that it had treated six victims, according to multiple reports. One of those victims was in serious condition. 

Multiple reports said the shooting took place during a Madden NFL 19 Tournament at the GLHF Game Bar. In video shared to the livestreaming site Twitch, multiple gunshots can be heard.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is responding to the situation, according to CNN, and federal authorities are responding.

President Trump has been briefed on the shooting and is monitoring the situation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Sunday.

Drini Gjoka, a gamer who said he witnessed the shooting, tweeted Sunday that the “tourney just got shot up.”

“I am literally so lucky. The bullet hit my thumb,” Gjoka wrote in another tweet. 

The tourney just got shot up. Im leavinng and never coming back

— Drini Gjoka (@YoungDrini) August 26, 2018

Several prominent political figures in Florida said Sunday that they are monitoring the shooting. 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a tweet that the shooting was “horrifying news” and that he was waiting for more information. The other senator from Florida, Bill Nelson (D), wrote on Twitter that the shooting “brings shock and outrage” and urged people in the area to listen to the advice of law enforcement.

Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.), who represents the district that includes Jacksonville, said on Twitter that he is “horrified by what has transpired at the Landing.”

“As we pray for the victims and all the emergency personnel responding to this tragedy, please follow guidance from @JSOPIO as they work to secure the area,” he added.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) wrote in a tweet that he spoke with Williams and offered “any state resources he may need.”

I’ve spoken to @JSOPIO Mike Williams to offer any state resources he may need. FDLE is currently responding, and I have spoken to FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen regarding the shooting in Jacksonville. We will continue to receive updates from law enforcement.

— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) August 26, 2018

Updated: 5:59 p.m.