Former Fortnite and Gears of War Pro Xcells Killed in Shooting Incident

Former Gears of War pro player Christopher “Xcells” Hill was killed in a shooting incident in Boones Mill, Virginia on 24th August (Wednesday night) after an altercation with a homeowner. According to a report by WFXRTV, 26-year-old Xcells approached a man at a home along Virgil H Goode Highway in Virginia, which resulted in an “encounter” that escalated with the homeowner shooting and killing Xcells. The authorities confirmed that the shooting was an isolated incident and that there was no threat to the public.

First reports about the shooting of Xcells

The WFXR report stated that the police received a call about shots being fired at 9:28 pm on 24th August. The news crew said that a body was visible on the front lawn of the house where the shooting happened. When the Franklin County authorities arrived at the scene, they reportedly found the man’s body and identified him as Christopher “Xcells” Hill of Martinsville.

Christopher Hill went by the in-game name Xcells and played professional Gears of War up until 2017. He last played for Enigma6 Group between April and June 2017 and has also been a part of other organizations like NRG, Echo Fox, and eUnited. Following this, Xcells went pro in Fortnite and competed professionally in 2018 and 2019. The player also regularly streamed on his Twitch channel.

Gears of War community remembers Xcells

The esports community is rattled by the death of Xcells. Game developer and a friend of Xcells, SUND0WN, took to Twitter to record his thoughts on the matter. He wrote, “My soul hurts. I know you were battling so many demons from your past & trying to be a better person. I'll cherish the times we got to talk & watching you compete. Regardless of any & everything, you didn't deserve this Chris. Love you man & fly as high as you dreamed @Xcells_”

A caster named Blaze who had the opportunity to cast Xcell’s games said, “This one hurt, Chris was [a] good man. Casting over him and knowing him was a pleasure. One of the best players to ever touch Gears. Rest in Peace bro.”

Former Gears of War pro Charlie "Fragou7" McLaughlin said, “R.I.P to the homie Xcells he definitely had a rough life and was fighting his hardest to make it out. One of the best teammates I ever had. life is TOO SHORT. Live it up.”

The incident is still under investigation by the local authorities and more information will be revealed soon, said the report.