Alleged Florida Shooter Was Former UMD Student

The alleged gunman who opened fire at a Florida video game tournament on Sunday was previously enrolled at the University of Maryland, according to a statement from the university.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams identified 24-year-old Baltimore resident David Katz as the shooter during a “Madden NFL 19” qualifying competition at a restaurant in the Jacksonville Landing mall. Two people were killed and 11 were wounded before Katz turned the gun on himself.

Katz, a gamer who had won a Madden competition in Buffalo in 2017, was registered to compete at the Florida event.

He was enrolled at UMD for four years beginning in September 2014, but had not registered for classes this fall. He was an environmental science and technology major and did not live on campus.

“Our community grieves for the families of those who lost their lives in yesterday's horrific shooting in Jacksonville,” President Wallace D. Loh said in a statement yesterday. “When our community was directly impacted by the shooting in Annapolis this summer, I said that more than silent reflection is needed to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country, and I will say that again today.”

Loh encouraged anyone at the university with relevant information to contact law enforcement involved in the Florida investigation.