EA Sports cancelled its three remaining 2018 Madden tournaments Tuesday, giving the video game publisher time to ramp up security at future events after a 24-year-old opened fire at a tournament Sunday.
David Katz killed two people and wounded 10 others before turning killing himself in a Jacksonville, Florida gaming bar. The shooting took place inside a mall — a gun-free zone. The public tournament was being live streamed and had no security.
EA is looking into security for future venues, CNN reported.
“We have made a decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators,” EA Sports CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement Monday. “We will work with our partners and our internal teams to establish a consistent level of security at all of our competitive gaming events.”
EA did not specify what security measures it may be considering. Esports have had minimal security compared the NFL and other traditional sports. Many small tournaments take place inside local gaming stores, but even larger events for more popular games have few security measures. (RELATED: Mass Shooting Reported In Jacksonville, Florida)
“We’ve all been deeply affected by what took place in Jacksonville,” Wilson said in his statement. “This is the first time we’ve had to confront something like this as an organization, and I believe the first time our gaming community has dealt with a tragedy of this nature.”
Court records show that Katz was previously hospitalized in psychiatric facilities on two occasions and was prescribed anti-psychotic and anti-depression medication.
The records are a part of divorce filings for Katz’ parents and they reveal that the Katz family had disagreements on how to handle their son’s issues. Katz’ father reportedly accused his wife of exaggerating Katz’ mental health issues as part of their custody battle.
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