Today, August 26th, a video game tournament for the popular football simulation game Madden 19 was taking place at the Jacksonville Landing complex where several e-sports teams were vying to get past the qualifying stage. A video posted on CNN captures what seems to be the sound of gunfire during a live portion of the tournament, with several screams in the background before the live footage was halted.
Several fatalities are currently all that is known for this mass shooting, one of which includes a shooting suspect. Authorities currently are not aware if there are more suspects, leaving Jacksonville in a state of lockdown.
Florida Governor Rick Scott let the internet know through Twitter that state officials and support are being sent to the area to respond to the threat and provide assistance.
I have also spoken with Mayor @lennycurry regarding the shooting and offered state support & resources. https://t.co/KPw26nU5lA
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) August 26, 2018
According to CNN, a brief on the on the mass shooting shared early reports are that 7 people were injured and 4 were killed, with a total of 11 people shot as of the time of publishing. These figures are only preliminary at this point and can further increase as more details are divulged.
Electronic Arts, the publisher of the massive gaming franchise acknowledged the incident with the following set of tweets:
This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved.
— Electronic Arts (@EA) August 26, 2018
This story is still developing and details are currently scarce, so please check back frequently for more updates and information as it is released.
