Florida Shooter Had Psychiatric Issues as a Teen

David Katz was hospitalized, though his parents disagreed about his problems
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 28, 2018 8:43 AM CDT
Other Madden Tournaments Canceled After Shooting
Members of the media do their morning broadcasts Monday across the street from the Jacksonville Landing following the mass shooting that occurred there.   (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP)

The gamers competing at the tournament where a mass shooting took place over the weekend in Florida were vying to advance to a championship tournament in Las Vegas in the fall. Now that competition is in limbo. EA Sports, maker of the "Madden NFL" game used in the tournaments, has canceled three other qualifying rounds while it reviews safety protocols, reports Yahoo Sports. It's not clear whether they'll be rescheduled or if the October finals will take place at all. Other developments in the shooting, in which police say David Katz killed two gamers, wounded 10 others, and then killed himself:

  • Psychiatric issues: Katz, 24, had been hospitalized for psychiatric issues as an adolescent, reports the Baltimore Sun. He took antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs, though his divorced parents disagreed over the severity of his problems, reports Jacksonville.com. Specifically, his father thought his ex-wife was exaggerating their son's difficulties. More about Katz here.
  • Close call: Gamer Shay Kivlen, who once beat Katz in a tournament, was in his hotel room when the shooting occurred. But a friend called to tell him that Katz had been asking for his whereabouts prior to the shooting, Kivlen tells the AP. Kivlen called police, and an officer stayed in his hotel room until they learned Katz was dead.
(More EA Sports stories.)

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