DULLES, Va. (WUSA9) -- Devoted e-sports gamers are gathering in Northern Virginia less than a week after two professional gamers were shot dead and several others injured during a tournament in Jacksonville.
"It's a family," said Jason Tran of North Carolina. Known by the handle "Neptune," the 15-year-old is playing at the Dulles Expo Center this weekend as part of gamer's convention GEXCon.
"That could have happened to me but it happened to someone else," said Tran. "It makes you feel terrible."
Gamers will play with purpose Saturday as part of the 3-day event, which begins Friday. Chris "Dubby" McFarland, a professional gamer hurt in the Jacksonville shooting, will hold a charity tournament. Money raised will funnel into a GoFundMe for victims' families. Pro gamers Elijah "Trueboy" Clayton and Taylor "SpotMePlzzz" Robinson were killed Sunday, killed at the hands of a suspected gunman from Maryland. That suspected shooter, 24-year-old David Katz, of Baltimore, took his own life in the shooing.
"It was heartbreaking," said Rob Hilsky of N3rd Street Gamers, which will stream the event online. He called the charity tournament "a no-brainer."
GEXCon organizer Dennis Wiltshire said some security screening has been ratcheted up. Security guards are checking bags and running magnetic wands over everyone entering the venue.
"There's a little bit of inconvenience but obviously safety comes first," said Wiltshire. "They're coming together after a tragic satiation and they're doing it in full force."
A DC-native was also injured in the shooting. Drini Gjoka, 19, was shot in the thumb while playing in the tournament.
