In the aftermath of New York’s deadliest mass shooting since 2000, authorities are investigating the motives and background of the man who opened fire in a midtown Manhattan office skyscraper, killing four people and then himself.
Police have identified the gunman as Shane Devon Tamura, 27, who they say walked into 345 Park Ave.—which includes the offices of the National Football League (NFL), Blackstone, and KPMG—at around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, an M4 rifle in hand. He opened fire in the lobby before taking the elevator to the 33rd floor, according to police, where he opened fire again before he shot himself in the chest.
One victim was identified by authorities as New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh who leaves behind two sons and his wife, who is pregnant with their third child. Wesley LePatner, a Blackstone executive, was among the victims as well, the company said. Security officer Aland Etienne’s union confirmed that he was also killed in the shooting.
This was the 250th mass shooting of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Tamura was reportedly born in Hawaii and grew up in the Southern California area, where he played football at two separate schools while in high school.
He most recently lived in Las Vegas. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference Monday evening soon after the shooting that he seemed to have driven across the country from Nevada to New York this week, passing through Chicago on July 26, Iowa and Nebraska on July 27, and New Jersey the afternoon of July 28 before he headed into the city.
Inside Tamura’s vehicle, which was registered in Nevada, officers found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition, a backpack, and medication prescribed to Tamura, Tisch said Monday evening. Officials told CNN he had a concealed carry permit for a handgun, apparent photos of which have been obtained by the New York Post.
Tisch also shared in the press conference that through their initial investigation, authorities found that Tamura had a “documented mental health history,” though the specifics of that history were not shared.
Authorities have not officially identified a motive, but are investigating whether Tamura had been targeting the NFL, which has headquarters at 345 Park Avenue.
On Tuesday morning, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told CBS the gunman had a note with him at the time of the shooting, which Adams said “alluded” to Tamura feeling that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head injuries. Adams shared that Tamura seemed to blame the NFL in his note.
“From our preliminary investigation, he took the wrong elevator bank up to the NFL headquarters,” Adams told CBS. “Instead, it took him to Rudin Management, and that is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote that at least one NFL employee was “seriously injured” in the shooting.
The New York Times reported that the three-page note made reference to the late Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long, who had CTE and committed suicide in 2005.
“Study my brain please,” the note reportedly said. “I’m sorry.”
CTE has been found in the brains of a number of former NFL players. Though it cannot be diagnosed in a living person with certainty, studies have shown the link between CTE and repetitive head impacts sustained by athletes like football players. CTE’s symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic, include memory loss, aggression, mood swings, impulsive behavior and gradual loss of movement control.
It is not yet clear whether Tamura actually had the disease.
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