Former Gears of War and Fortnite pro Xcells killed in shooting

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Christopher "Xcells" Hill was 26.

Christopher Xcells Hill
(Image credit: Joe Brady via Gears Pro Circuit)

On the night of August 24, Christopher "Xcells" Hill, a former Gears of War and Fortnite pro, was shot and killed at a home in Boones Hill, Virginia. That's according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, which shared details of its investigation Thursday.

As reported by WDBJ7, the incident occurred after a homeowner was approached by a man he didn't know, later identified as Hill, "resulting in the homeowner shooting and killing Hill." A spokesperson for the Franklin County Sheriff's Department told WDBJ7 that no charges are currently pending.

Hill played Gears of War professionally for teams like Eunited, NRG, Hazard Esports, Enigma6, and Echo Fox before retiring in 2017. He also played Fortnite professionally in 2018 and 2019, but more recently, he'd been streaming on Twitch for 23,000 followers. He last streamed just two days before his killing.

Esports caster and talent manager Blaze remembered Hill on Twitter, calling him "one of the best players to ever touch Gears."

Former Gears pro and 10-time champion Nicholas "Icy" Cope expressed his grief on Twitter alongside many other friends and fellow esports players. "I'm heartbroken. Love you bud and I’m sorry this world was so hard on you. FUCK MAN. RIP."

Hill was 26 years old.

Thanks, Dot Esports.

Morgan Park
Morgan Park
Staff Writer

Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though.