Multiple Fatalities Reported After Mass Shooting at Jacksonville Video Game Tournament
There was a mass shooting at a video game tournament that was being streamed online from a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, and the local sheriff’s office said there were multiple fatalities.
“Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter. “We can’t stress enough to stay away. Many blocks away.”
Local media, citing police sources, said four people were killed and about 10 wounded.
The sheriff’s office said one suspect was dead at the scene and that it was unknown whether there was a second suspect. “Searches are being conducted,” the sheriff’s office said.
Many people were transported to hospital, it said.
The shooting took place at a restaurant at Jacksonville Landing, a waterfront dining, entertainment and shopping site in downtown Jacksonville, according to local media.
The business was livestreaming a tournament for a Madden football video game when several shots rang out, according to video of the stream shared on social media.
In the video, players can be seen reacting to the gunfire and cries can be heard before the footage cuts off.
One Twitter user, Drini Gjoka, said he was in the tournament and was shot in the thumb.
“Worst day of my life,” Gjoka wrote on Twitter. “I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second.”
The sheriff’s office said its deputies were 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,” it said on Twitter. “We will get to you. Please don’t come running out.”
Local news footage showed several ambulances, as well as firefighters and police officers, on the scene, as well as roads being blocked off in the downtown area.
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