Tournament was being streamed online when the shooting took place Local police said the shooter apparently shot himself dead JACKSONVILLE, Florida: A gunman opened fire Sunday during an online video game tournament that was being livestreamed from a Florida mall, killing multiple people and sending many others to hospitals, authorities said. In a news conference, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams confirmed there were multiple fatalities and injuries in the shooting at a Madden 19 American football eSports tournament at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River. A source close to the investigation said four people were killed and the gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to release information. Williams said authorities had yet to identify the suspect who attacked the video football tournament, which was held in a gaming bar that shares space with a pizzeria. Viewers could watch the games online and see the players. Investigators were looking into online video that appeared to capture the scene right before the shooting began, Williams said. A red dot that appears to be a laser pointer is visible on the chest of a player seconds before the first of a dozen gunshots rings out. The sheriff’s office used Twitter and Facebook to warn people to stay far away and to ask anyone who was hiding to call 911. “We are 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 inside The Landing. We will get to you. Please don’t come running out,” the sheriff’s office said via Twitter. The sheriff’s office did not provide any other information, but also warned reporters to stay away from the area. Police barricaded a three-block radius around the mall. Officers and Coast Guard boats patrolled the nearby river. Many ambulances could be seen in the area, but the mall area appeared empty of all but law enforcement. Police also took up positions on a bridge overlooking the river. The Jacksonville Landing, in the heart of the city’s downtown, also hosts concerts and other entertainment. It was the site of a Donald Trump rally in 2015, early in his campaign for the White House. Defeated competitor According to the LA Times, quoting player Steven “Steveyj” Javaruski, a professional Madden player for Noble eSports, the shooter was a gamer who had been competing and lost. Madden is a hugely popular multi-player video game based on the National Football League. The tournament at The Landing entertainment and shopping complex — a regional qualifier for finals in Las Vegas with a $25,000 prize — was being held at the GLHF Game Bar. In disturbing footage apparently captured as part of a livestream on the video game streaming website Twitch, several gunshots could be heard in the background, before the stream disconnected. Twitch removed the video, but it remained available on social media. Police said they were in possession of footage capturing the incident. “This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved,” Madden’s creator, EA Sports, said in a statement. CompLexity Gaming, one of the gaming teams, said its player Drini Gjoka was grazed on the hand. “We’re obviously shocked and saddened by this afternoon’s events. Our player, Drini, was hit in the thumb but is going to be fine. He managed to escape and run down the street to a nearby gym,” director Jason Lake told AFP. “I will never take anything for granted ever again. Life can be cut short in a second,” Gjoka tweeted. Another player, “DubDotDUBBY,” said a bullet had grazed his head. “I feel fine, just a scratch on my head. Traumatized and devastated,” he tweeted. Germany-based SK Gaming also confirmed their player “JoelCP_” was safe. “Our thoughts are with everyone that had to be part of such a horrendous event,” it said. The professional gamer known as “oLARRY2K,” of Bucks Gaming, was said to have been shot in the chest, according to several social media users, including one describing herself as his mother. Land of mass shootings Survivors of the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February, expressed sorrow at news of another mass shooting in the state. “Once again, my heart hurts and all of me is so angry. We cannot accept this as our reality,” Delaney Tarr, one of the organizers of the student-led March for Our Lives movement, tweeted. Florida has suffered multiple shootings in recent years: 49 were killed in a June 2016 attack on a gay nightclub, while 17 were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year. Florida Senator Marco Rubio said that the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating Sunday’s shooting. Florida Governor Rick Scott, meanwhile, said he had offered state support in the aftermath. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed President Donald Trump had been briefed on the incident. “We are monitoring the situation,” she said.