One of the victims killed Sunday during a mass shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville was a SoCal resident who had attended high school in Calabasas and the San Fernando Valley.
Calabasas High School tweeted that Elijah Clayton, a former student and football player, died after a gunman opened fire during the Madden NFL 19 Classic at a Florida mall. Another player was also killed and nine other people were wounded before the suspect shot and killed himself.
In a video that was livestreamed by the network Twitch, Clayton can be seen playing the Madden NFL game with a smile on his face as he scores a touchdown. As the video feed switches to a kickoff return, gunshots ring out, followed by sounds of panic and chaos.
Clayton was reportedly a talented football player online and in real life. He played at Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills in 2012 before transferring to Calabasas High School in 2013.
The high school acknowleged his death in a tweet Sunday evening.
Our hearts are broken as we learned that former Calabasas Football player @True__818 (Elijah Clayton) was senselessly murdered today during the mass shooting in Florida. We send our love, condolences, and deepest sense of sorrow to Elijah's Family and Friends pic.twitter.com/xhdQ8TLg0d
— Calabasas High School Football (@CalabasasFtball) August 27, 2018
Clayton was listed as a coach for Top Madden, which offered strategy and other resources to fellow players. Top Madden's CEO, who goes by "Problem" online, tweeted his condolences Sunday, along with a photo showing Clayton and himself at dinner with other gamers.
Forever family lil bro. One of the toughest days in my life. Still in shock and still dont wanna believe it. Forever in our hearts! pic.twitter.com/daoQRgh8Zh
— PROBLEM (@ProblemWright) August 27, 2018
"All over a videogame," he wrote. "Two of our brothers are gone man and its so disturbing. One of the most tragic days ive experienced. This community is like family. Broken."
Ryan Fonseca and Alex Cohen contributed to this report.
News happens every day. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you and the community you live in. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) are made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism isn't cheap, but with your support we can keep delivering it. Donate now.
