The man who shot up the gaming convention yesterday purchased his guns legally in the heavy gun-control state of Maryland less than a month ago:
USA TODAY – David Katz carried out his killing spree at Jacksonville’s Landing Complex Sunday armed with two handguns, both purchased legally in Maryland less than a month ago.
Katz, who killed two fellow gamers before taking his own life, had two guns on his person — a .45 and a 9mm pistol — when he opened fire, leaving 13 victims in his wake.
Police officials said Monday that Katz had extra ammunition with him, but there was no indication Katz had planned the shooting in advance.
Purchasing a firearm at a licensed dealer means Katz would have had to pass an FBI background check that would have reviewed his criminal history.
Under federal law, people are prohibited from purchasing firearms if they are convicted felons; have a history of illegal drug use; have been adjudicated as mentally ill or involuntarily committed for mental health treatment; are classified as fugitives; or have been convicted of domestic abuse.
Katz used only one of the two handguns during the shooting, and it was equipped with a legally purchased aftermarket laser sighting device, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said at a press conference.
The red dot associated with a laser pointer can be seen hovering over a gamer’s chest during a live-stream video broadcast from the tournament, moments before the shooting started and the video feed went dead.
Katz did have a history of mental illness, even once being hospitalized as a teen:
AP – Court records obtained by The Associated Press show that a man accused of killing two people and then himself at a video gaming competition in Florida had been hospitalized for mental illness.
Divorce filings from the parents of 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore say that as a teenager he was twice hospitalized in psychiatric facilities and that he was prescribed anti-psychotic and anti-depressant medications.
The records show Katz’s parents disagreed deeply on how to care for their troubled son. Katz’s father claimed his estranged wife was exaggerating symptoms of mental illness as part of the couple’s long-running and acrimonious custody battle. They divorced in 2007.
Authorities say Katz killed two people and wounded nine others Sunday before fatally shooting himself at the “Madden NFL 19” tournament in Jacksonville.
Katz’s parents went through a bitter divorce, and it’s from those record that more has been learned about Katz and how obsessed he was over gaming – and how angry he would get if his parents took away his gaming privileges because of his obsession:
At the end of the video, the reporter in Maryland said he talked to a lot of people, but never found anyone that described themselves as a close friend of Katz. He said from all appearances, Katz was a loner – which would make sense given his gaming lifestyle. I’m guessing most of his friends were on the other end of a gaming headset.
As a side note, I know that some websites are emphasizing how much Katz hated Trump, but at this point I don’t think that’s relevant. From the sounds of it, he was upset about losing in the tournament and decided to take revenge with his newly purchased handguns. If we find out it was politically motivated we’ll be sure and update you. But until then, I’m just not focused on this being about Trump when it doesn’t appear to be.