Both were Madden pros
The investigation into yesterday’s deadly shooting at a Madden 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Florida is still underway, but we now know the names of those killed in the incident. Authorities confirmed the two men are Taylor Robertson and Elijah Clayton, who compete in Madden under the names “SpotMePlzz” and “TrueBoy” respectively. Both died of gunshot wounds after a 24-year-old competitor in the tournament returned to the event after losing earlier and opened fire in the GLHF Game Bar. Nine others in the room were shot during the mass shooting and are expected to be okay.
Both men were very active in the Madden competitive scene with Robertson having won Madden Classic last season. Electronic Arts, the publisher of the Madden series, released the following statement after both victims were identified by Jacksonville authorities:
— Electronic Arts (@EA) August 27, 2018
In wake of the incident, other gaming events have announced changes to their security measures. The organizers of EVO said yesterday they will install metal detectors for all days of the show in 2019 and this weekend’s PAX West will see increased security on the premises during the entirety of the event.
[Update: Andrew Wilson, the CEO of EA, has announced the remaining Madden Classic qualifier events for the season have been canceled. In a statement, Wilson said:
The event was a qualifying tournament for the Madden Classic, our first Madden EA Major competition of this season. While these qualifying events are operated independently by partners, we work with them to ensure competitive integrity and to gather feedback from players. We have made a decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators. We will work with our partners and our internal teams to establish a consistent level of security at all of our competitive gaming events.
We’ve all been deeply affected by what took place in Jacksonville. This is the first time we’ve had to confront something like this as an organization, and I believe the first time our gaming community has dealt with a tragedy of this nature. Please take time to support each other through this challenging time.]
