JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — 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.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office did not immediately confirm the number of dead at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River.
At least one suspect was dead after the attack on 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.
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 and was the site of Donald Trump rally in October 2015 early in his campaign for the White House.
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