Local Football Player Eli Clayton Killed In Florida Mass Shooting

WOODLAND HILLS — The Woodland Hills community is mourning the death of standout high school football player and national gamer Eli Clayton, who was killed in a Sunday's mass shooting at the EA Sports tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.

Clayton, known to the national gaming scene as "Trueboy," was killed in the middle of a Madden NFL competition by a fellow competitor who opened fire on the crowd after losing the tournament, according to police. The Los Angeles Times described the livestreamed tragedy in which Clayton smiles as he scores a touchdown on Madden NFL just before a red laser dot appears on his sweater, and 11 gunshots can be heard.

Clayton and fellow gamer Taylor "Spotmeplzzz" Robertson were shot to death in the GLHF Game Bar Sunday, allegedly by 24-year-old David Katz, a gamer from Baltimore, Maryland, who was at the location to participate in the Madden NFL17 Classic. Police said Katz turned the gun on himself after shooting people in the tournament.

In addition to Clayton and Robertson, nine other people were also shot and two people were injured fleeing the area, the Jacksonville sheriff's office said.

Friends and family, many who were watching the 22-year-old compete when the shooting started, identified Clayton.

He played football at Chaminade College Preparatory and graduated from Calabasas High School in 2013.

Chaminade Principal Tom Fahy told the Los Angeles Times Clayton Was a respectful, mild-mannered kid.

“He was a dedicated student, doing his best in the classroom while being a great teammate to his football family,” Fahy said in a statement.

Calabasas High School’s football tweeted, “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."

Clayton spent years becoming on a top Madden NFL gamer, along the way, earning a reputation for being a supportive mentor to aspiring gamers.

"One of the first Madden pros that ever reached out to me on here. God bless you and your loved ones. Life isn’t fair sometimes," a fellow gamer tweeted Sunday.

In the days before the tournament Clayton was reportedly undecided about whether he would compete, but he ended up heading to Florida and appeared to be a contender for the jackpot prize when he was killed.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, according to authorities.

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Photo: Youtube screengrab, City News Service contributed to this report.