Former Gears of War, Fortnite Pro Christopher "Xcells" Hill Has Died

A former Gears of War and Fortnite professional player has been fatally shot.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office officials have announced that professional gamer Christopher Hill, who goes by the name "Xcells" in various game tournaments, was found dead in Boones Mill, Virginia.

Hill was 26 years old.

Christopher Hill Death Details

According to the investigation of the officials from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, deputies mentioned that received a call on Aug. 24 at 9:28 PM for a report of shots fired at a home in Boones Mill near Virgil Goode Highway, per WDBJ7.

The report then said a homeowner was approached by a man he didn't know, causing "an encounter" or "altercation." Unfortunately, the homeowner shot and killed the man, who later turned out to be Hill.

Although authorities have not mentioned why and how Hill approached the homeowner in question, WFXR mentioned in its article that the incident's investigation is still ongoing.

The sheriff's office also confirmed that the shooting was an isolated incident and that there was no threat to the public, per AFK Gaming.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office then announced that no charges were pending as of the writing of this article.

Local authorities will reveal more information as the investigation progresses.

A GoFundMe page has been created by Jonathan Fortner, a friend of Hill's family. The donations are meant to try to help Hill's family arrange his funeral.

As of the writing of this article, the page has already accumulated $2,792, with $5,000 being the goal.

Christopher Hill's Life And Career - From Gears of War To Fortnite

Hill, or Xcells, played Gears of War professionally until 2017 for teams such as NRG, Echo Fox, eUnited, and Enigma6 Group, which was the last group he played professional Gears of War with, per Dot Esports.

After retiring from the professional Gears of War scene, he eventually played competitive Fortnite professionally from 2018 to 2019, per PC Gamer.

After his professional gaming career, Hill took to streaming gameplay videos, with him streaming Warner Bros. Interactive's MultiVersus for 23,000 followers two days before he was fatally shot.

He leaves behind friends and admirers, with Esports caster and talent manager Blaze remembering Xcells on Twitter, calling him "one of the best players to ever touch [Gears of War]."

Nicholas Cope, a former Gears of War professional gamer known to the gaming community as "Icy," also took to Twitter to express his grief over the news.

"I'm heartbroken. Love you bud[,] and I'm sorry this world was so hard on you... RIP @XCELLS_," Cope tweeted.

Former Epic Games caster and a friend of XCells, xSUNDOWN, tweeted that Chris didn't deserve to be shot and that he knows he is battling "so many demons" from his past and is trying to be a better person. He also mentioned that he'll cherish the times he and Xcell got to talk and watch him compete.

"Love you man[,]& fly as high as you dreamed @XCELSS_," XSundown added.