CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) — As authorities continue to investigate a mass shooting that happened during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., one competitor from Robstown, Texas, is still trying to come to terms with what happened.
25-year-old Ryen Aleman was at the tournament Sunday when the gunfire began.
Aleman arrived in Jacksonville Thursday and received an eerie warning from his Lyft driver who was taking him to a hotel.
"He said, 'Don't walk around Jacksonville at night by yourself, because anywhere around here, you ain't safe,'" Aleman said. The driver's message didn't sit well with him. "In my head, what if something happens to the Madden tournament?"
Aleman was one of 120 people who signed up for the tournament, which began Saturday at a game bar located at a popular riverfront mall called Jacksonville Landing. Aleman goes by "Badrep" when he's gaming, and said the competition included the best of the best players from around the U.S.
"Yeah, it's like the top Madden, best of the best players that you see on TV," Aleman said.
Aleman said he was one of 64 players who made it through the first round of eliminations and came back for another day of competition on Sunday. He checked in and spoke with well-known gamers Eli "Trueboy" Clayton and Taylor "Spotmeplzzz" Robertson beforehand.
Both players were shot and killed that day.
"That morning we were just goofing around. We were just talking like, 'Who is going to win it?' Everybody was saying, 'I'm going to win it. No, I'm going to win it.' We all just goof around, talk, and get advice from each other," Aleman said.
It was later in the afternoon when Aleman had his headphones on and was playing the game. At the same time, Trueboy was playing against another gamer which was being live streamed on the popular internet service Twitch. A few moments later, he heard a gunshot.
"When they started playing, not even five minutes later, I heard a pop. I looked to my left and everybody was dropping and everybody was just running around trying to escape," Aleman said. "I took off my headset and heard more gunshots, so I dropped to the floor and started crawling."
Panicked, Aleman crawled to a nearby restroom where he said he prayed in silence as he continued to hear gunfire.
"I was just in there and kept praying. I hope he doesn't come in here. If he does come in here, I'm going to die," Aleman said.
When the shooting stopped, Aleman made the decision to make a run for it.
"In my head, I'm like, 'Should I just run, or wait in here until the cops come?' But in my head, I'm like, 'What if he goes and gets another clip and starts shooting again?'" Aleman said. "At that time I didn't know he committed suicide."
Aleman said he ran to a back door and saw victims on the ground as he escaped.
The gunman was identified as David Katz. Authorities said he killed three people and wounded 11 others before he shot himself.
Aleman did not know who the shooter was.
"He won the Buffalo Bills championship series back in '17, but I've never heard of his gamer tag," Aleman said.
Looking back, Aleman said he is still in shock and knows he is lucky.
"My plane ride from Florida to back home was like, it kept replaying in my head. I'm still in shock right now," Aleman said. "I still can't believe I'm alive. If I didn't turn left to see what was going on, me and my opponent would have probably died."
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