Jacksonville shooting site was popular with deep dish pizza lovers and gamers

The site of Sunday's mass shooting was an odd combination of part sports bar, part video gaming center.

Some who have enjoyed the popular deep dish pies at Chicago Pizza and Sports Grille, eating in a booth or at a bar and watching a game, likely didn't know about the gaming room in the back until they used the restroom.

The path to the restrooms took patrons through the room, where a couple dozen gamers sat in chairs in front of monitors to play the popular Fortnite game, or Sunday, Madden 19.

Inside the room, called the GLHF Game Bar, the sound of gamers talking on headsets to fellow playing online and among themselves likely startled those passing through. 

Gamers paid a fee, from $6 per hour to play on a personal computer to $1,000 for an annual pass. GLHF offered players hundreds of games to play, from arcade versions to the more popular games such as Fortnite and Madden 19.

And players could eat and drink while playing, with alcoholic beverages including Apple Juleps and Grapefruit Margaritas. Food included items named Pong Pasta and Mutant Pizza Rolls. 

Chicago Pizza is on the first floor of Jacksonville Landing, an outdoor mall mainly offering restaurants and bars and outdoor musical entertainment.

The Landing opened in 1987 as a popular development but has suffered financial setbacks in recent years. Many former stores on the Landing sit vacant, a one-time bustling entertainment hot-spot that has fallen on hard times. 

The Landing sits in the heart of downtown Jacksonville, along the St. Johns River.