RED FLAGS

Report: Jacksonville Shooter Had Been Hospitalized for Mental Illness

David Katz received psychiatric treatment as a minor, court documents show.

David Katz—the 24-year-old suspect behind the shooting at the Madden NFL tournament in Jacksonville, Florida—was reportedly hospitalized twice for mental illness as a minor. The Associated Press also reports that divorce filings from Katz’s parents show that he was prescribed anti-psychotic and antidepressant medications when he was a teenager. In the documents, Katz’s father alleged that his estranged wife was exaggerating their son’s symptoms of mental illness. They divorced in 2007. The Baltimore Sun reports that Katz struggled academically while he was enrolled as a student at the University of Maryland. At the time of the shooting, he was no longer enrolled at the university. Katz, who killed two people at the video-game event, has been described as an avid gamer, winning several tournaments that gave him recognition in the online gaming community. He occasionally attended a “Hi Score Game Night” at a sports bar near Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. Chito Peppler, the owner of the bar, said Katz was not very sociable with others at the event. “We feel like, after what happened, it may not be as safe as it was before,” Peppler said. “There should never be a fear of someone taking our lives because of video games.”