Mother of wounded gamer: "He's hurt, he's destroyed"

JACKSONVILLE (FOX 13) - The mother of a Riverview man wounded in the shooting at a Madden '19 tournament in Jacksonville said her son is fortunate to be alive but his career as a professional gamer might be in jeopardy.

Sujeil Lopez spoke to reporters at UF Health in Jacksonville, where her son, Timothy Anselimo, was undergoing surgery Monday.

“It took me three hours to get here with no information other than what the news was saying, that there was already two fatalities. Not knowing if it was my son was intense," Lopez recalled.

The two Madden '19 competitors who were killed were Eli Clayton, who gamed under the name "Trueboy," and Taylor Robertson, who used the name "SpotMePlzzz," according to FOX 30. Eleven others were injured during the shooting before the alleged gunman killed himself.

Anselimo was among the survivors who are being treated for various injuries, most related to gunshot wounds. He was shot in his chest, leg and hand.

"He's hurt. He's destroyed, right, with what has happened to him, and our main focus right now is getting him better and back to where he needs to be," Lopez said. "For him to come to a gaming event where, as his mother, I thought he'd be safe and he wasn't, is insane."

Lopez said her son is a professional gamer and his dreams are now in jeopardy because he might lose the use of his hand.

"This is his life and he made it and he's alive, but if he can't play and he can't work and he can't do this, his life will be changed forever," she said.

First responders continued investigating into the early hours of Monday as the city of Jacksonville woke up to a gloomy, rainy morning after a deadly gaming tournament shooting from just the day before. 

On Monday morning, Memorial Hospital released the names of four patients:

- George Amadeo II, 17, is in good condition
- David Echevarria, 28, was treated for minor injuries and released
- Alexander Madunic, 27, is in good condition after a gunshot wound to the foot
- Christopher McFarland, 31, is in good condition after a bullet graze to the head

At UF Health Hospital, one patient remains in good condition while another is in "serious condition and under observation," reported FOX 30. Four were released from the hospital on Sunday.

Governor Rick Scott visited the victims of the shooting in their hospital rooms Sunday night. Among them was 25-year-old Timothy Anselimon from Tampa. His friends tell FOX 13 he was shot three times and is expected to have surgery Monday.

The deadly violence stunned gamers competing during the Madden NFL 19 video game tournament. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said authorities believe 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore carried out the attack using at least one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River. 

Toshiba Sharon told FOX 13 that his co-announcer was shot during the event. He also said Katz was eliminated about 15 minutes before the shooting began. 

The Madden game's maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner. Authorities did not give a motive for the shootings.

"Normally, there is security. There wasn't at this even, but normally there is security -- normally door checks," he explained with a shaky voice. "So, it's just...just sad it wasn't in this event."

Investigators were looking into an 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 about a dozen gunshots rings out.

"No one deserves to die over playing a videogame, you know?" said Madden competitor Derek Jones, 30, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. "We're just out here trying to win some money for our families and stuff."

An FBI spokesman, Dave Fitz, confirmed that agents had gone to the house of the Katz's father in Baltimore. He declined to release specifics, citing the ongoing investigation. T.J. Smith, chief spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department, also said that the agency was assisting law enforcement partners "with some information that has led authorities to Baltimore."

The Jacksonville Landing, in the heart of the city's downtown, also hosts concerts and other entertainment.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.