26th August, 2018
Photo: BBC/AFP
Several people have been killed in a mass shooting at an entertainment complex in Jacksonville, Florida, police say.
The sheriff’s office said on Twitter that many people had been wounded and urged people to avoid the area.
They said a suspect was dead at the scene, as searches continued in case anyone else is involved.
The shooting happened during a video game tournament being held in Jacksonville Landing.
Many shots can be heard in a video that appears to show the event being streamed online on the Twitch platform.
The players were playing the American football game Madden at the time.
Drini Gjoka, a 19-year-old player taking part, described the shooting in a series of posts on Twitter, calling it “the worst day of [his] life”.
“I am literally so lucky. The bullet hit my thumb,” he tweeted.
EA Sports, the company that owns Madden and approved the competition, said it was working with the authorities.
The local sheriff’s office said on Twitter that Swat teams were continuing to search the area.
They said that they had found “many people” still hiding there and urged them to stay calm.
Local media report that at least four people have been killed, and at least 11 others are injured.
Police have not confirmed the exact numbers but are expected to address the media at 16:30 local (20:30 GMT).
According to the Los Angeles Times, a gamer opened fire after losing, then killed himself. The report, which quoted messages from another gamer, could not immediately be confirmed.
The state has seen several mass shootings in recent years, including at the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland in February this year.
The Jacksonville Landing is a large shopping, entertainment and dining complex in the city centre.
-BBC