Columbia Tied To Alleged Jacksonville Gunman

COLUMBIA, MD — The suspected gunman in Sunday's mass shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, reportedly grew up in Columbia. Law enforcement in Florida identified the shooter as David Bennett Katz, 24.

Katz is said to have spent his younger years in Columbia.

His family had a home in Kings Contrivance, according to WUSA 9.

Neighbors said they noticed there was something amiss, describing the family as "troubled," with police cars a familiar sight.

At age 15, Katz was sent to a months-long wilderness program in Utah for troubled teens, one of a handful of adolescent treatment regimens he went through over the years, according to WUSA 9.

Katz graduated from Hammond High School in 2011.

Alleged Jacksonville shooter David Katz in his 2011 Hammond HS yearbook photo @wbaltv11 now talking with former neighbors in Columbia who remember the family... pic.twitter.com/vmsq9H2p6G
— Kate Amara (@kateamaraWBAL) August 27, 2018

Katz had "significant" medical problems, according to court filings associated with his parents' divorce.

When the lengthy divorce process began in 2007, his parents disagreed over his care, according to WBAL. A judge granted custody to his mother.

Katz was hospitalized twice as a teen and prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, the news station reported.

When he was 16, Katz wrote an appeal to a Howard County magistrate judge asking for permission to live with his father, stating that his mother called the police about 20 times on him, drawing law enforcement to the family home, according to the Associated Press.

He reportedly underwent hospitalization at Sheppard Pratt, which specializes in mental health treatment, in Towson.

Katz also has an older brother, Brandon Katz, 28, and they lived in Columbia with their mother until 2009.

After their parents divorced, the Katz children were the subject of a case before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals about health insurance coverage.

While the court filings did not detail what the specific medical issues were, records stated that both David and Brandon Katz had "significant medical problems and needs" resulting in "extraordinary medical expenses."

More recently, the 24-year-old Katz was believed to have lived with his father in a downtown condo in Baltimore, in the 1200 block of Harbor Island Walk.

Federal agents converged at a condominium building near the Inner Harbor Sunday night to investigate a residence associated with the suspected gunman in the shooting in Jacksonville, Florida.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the motive behind Sunday's mass shooting during a Madden NFL 19 video game tournament. The shooting at the Jacksonville Landing entertainment complex resulted in the deaths of three people — including the lone suspect. Eleven more people were injured.

Katz brought two handguns and extra ammunition with him to the gaming tournament in Florida, according to Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, who said he purchased the guns in Baltimore recently, in the past month.

"Based on the investigation at this point, he legally purchased the firearms from a licensed dealer and didn't violate any laws in doing that," Williams said.

The sheriff said while there were two weapons, the suspect only fired one of them. One was a .45-caliber and one was a 9-mm. One of them had an after-market laser on it, according to Williams.

Based on Maryland law, a person who has been voluntarily committed for more than 30 consecutive days in a medical institution for treatment of a mental disorder may not possess a firearm, and anyone who has been involuntarily committed to a facility for treatment of a mental disorder may not possess a firearm either.

According to the FBI, both of David Katz's parents are cooperating with authorities.

"In Baltimore, our agents are working with the subject's family. His parents — both mother and father — have been fully cooperative with the FBI so far," Special Agent in Charge Charles P. Spencer said on Monday at a press conference with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. "They provided access to all the records we requested and have been very understanding in the need for information to ensure the safety of others. This has been vital to advancing the overall investigative effort."

RELATED:

• David Katz: 7 Things To Know About The Jacksonville Shooter
• Baltimore Man IDed As Jacksonville Mass Shooter: Officials
• Jacksonville Mass Shooting: 3 Dead At Madden NFL Gaming Event

Main image of David Katz is a still picture via CBS This Morning/YouTube.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that David Katz did not attend Howard Community College. Patch regrets the error.

The First Lady and I are grieving for the victims of today’s horrific shooting in Jacksonville, Florida. Maryland is united with the Jacksonville community and Americans all across our nation in standing against these senseless acts of hatred and violence.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) August 26, 2018