'He was just letting them rip': Survivors of Jacksonville shooting describe the moment they fled for their lives

Police tape blocking a street leading to the Jacksonville Landing area in Florida
AFP/Getty Images
Ella Wills27 August 2018

The survivors of last night's deadly e-sports tournament in Florida have described the moment they fled for their lives as the gunman "let rip".

David Katz, 24, opened fire at the Madden NFL 19 American football game tournament in Jacksonville on Sunday, killing two people and injuring 11 others before fatally shooting himself, according to police.

Unconfirmed reports said Katz was angry because he lost the tournament.

Among the other people injured was Tony Montagnino, 34, a married father-of-two from Texas who was shot in the lower back but survived.

He told Good Morning America how he could not see who was trying to kill him because flashes from the gunman's weapon were so bright.

Taylor "SpotMePlzzz" Robertson, from West Virginia and Eli "Trueboy" Clayton, from California, were identified as victims

"Never in a million years would I have thought I would get shot playing John Madden football ... it can happen anywhere," Mr Montagnino said.

In a video that captured the moment Katz allegedly opened fire, he can be heard shouting, "What did he shoot me with?"

He said: "My first reaction, I heard the shots and I thought, 'Why is there firecrackers in here?"

Tony Montagnino, 34, a married father-of-two from Texas who was shot in the lower back but survived
Good Morning America

"And then I actually got hit and, you know, I've never been shot before, so I didn't know what to think and then I turned around and actually ... saw the flashes from the gun and at that point [I] just went into survival mode and just wanted to make sure I was out of there."

Mr Montagnino added: "I saw his silhouette. I could see his hair but [not] his face.

A heavy police presence remained into the night at the shooting
Getty Images

"He was holding the gun up and the flashes were kind of covering his face because I mean he was just letting them rip.

"And then, again, once I saw the flashes, I didn't want to stick around to try to ID him. So I hit the floor and tried to find cover wherever I could."

David Katz, 24, has been named as the man who shot dead two gamers before taking his own life
Twitter

Dalton Kent, a teacher from Port St Lucie, was shot in the ankle as he dove for cover under a table.

"When I was happening I was just hoping they wouldn't hit me.

"I'm just really glad to be alive. I've definitely had better days," Mr Kent told CBS 12 after the shooting.

Milwaukee Bucks video gamer Timothy Anselimo, known as "Larry Legend", was shot three times during the rampage, his mother tweeted.

“Devastated,” he tweeted on Monday. “No words. Surgery in the morning. Thanks to all who reached out.”

Drini Gjoka, 19, was shot in the thumb. He tweeted afterwards: "I will never take anything for granted ever again.

"Life can be cut short in a second."

It comes as a rival of the former gaming champion suspected of carrying out the attack recalled him as "being kind of different."

Shane Kivlen was the best friend of one of the gamers who was killed in the shooting.

Mr Kivlen told The Associated Press that Katz didn't talk much with fellow gamers, either online or when they met face-to-face for Madden tournaments.

He said much of what he and others knew of Katz, they learned from his baffling style of playing the game.

Kivlen said Katz was smart, "but something was off about him."

He said Katz wasn't known to trash talk with rivals. But after winning a championship last year, Kivlen says Katz "got up and let out the weirdest scream ever."

Kivlen was at his Jacksonville hotel when the shooting happened Sunday.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office identified the shooter as Katz, of Baltimore, and said they found his body near those of his two alleged victims at the GLHF Game Bar in the shopping complex.

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

The competition was held in a gaming bar that shares space with a pizzeria. Viewers could watch the games online and see the players.

Police are investigating online video that appeared to capture the scene right before the shooting began.

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