Madden shooter David Katz shown on video bragging he was ‘one of the better players’ a year before killing two at gaming tournament
David Katz, 24, killed two and injured 11 others at the Madden NFL competition in Florida yesterday
THE gamer who fatally shot two rivals and injured 11 others at a video game tournament bragged that he was better than his opponents in chilling footage which emerged today.
Cops are investigating why David Katz, 24, opened fire on two contestants at the Madden NFL competition in Jacksonville, Florida, yesterday as it was live-streamed online.
One of the hosts added: "David Katz keeps to himself. He's a man of business. He's not here to make friends. You can't even get him to open up about anything, it's like pulling teeth."
Witnesses told local media that Katz, from Baltimore, Maryland, was a disgruntled gamer who was angry because he lost.
While police have not identified the victims, family members told Jacksonville CBS television station WJAX the two people killed were Eli Clayton and Taylor Robertson.
The Miami Herald also identified the victims: 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.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's office said 11 other people were wounded by gunfire and at least two others were injured while fleeing the scene of Sunday's shooting.
Police said Katz killed himself and his body was found near the bodies of the two shot dead at The Landing, a popular riverside shopping and restaurant spot in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams declined Sunday to comment on possible reasons for the attack.
Police and FBI agents swarmed Katz's upscale townhouse in South Baltimore late on Sunday, multiple media accounts said, including the Baltimore Sun.
Jerry Knauer, who lived next door to the Katz family, said he felt sorry for his father Rich, adding: "It's tragic. Rich has always been really nice to us."
Another neighbour Cameron Stearns, said they seemed like a quiet, normal family and he never noticed anything suspicious about them.
The shooting took place during a regional qualifier for the Madden 19 online game tournament at the GLHF Game Bar inside a pizza restaurant, according to the venue's website.
The winners of the contest go forward to the video game finals in Las Vegas and compete for $165,000 (£128,000).
The latest rampage occurred amid a debate over U.S. gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
President Donald Trump has been briefed and is monitoring the situation in Jacksonville, the White House said.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.