A gunman who killed four people in a New York City skyscraper carried a note alleging he was suffering from a degenerative brain disease which he blamed on the National Football League (NFL), according to reports.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, had the note on him when he entered the 345 Park Avenue building in Manhattan and opened fire, shooting dead a police officer and three other people before turning the gun on himself, sources told CNN and the New York Post.
Tamura, who began shooting in the lobby before moving elsewhere in the building that is home to the NFL, wrote in the note that he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The brain condition is linked to repeated head injuries and blows to the head, and has been associated with the hits football players receive on the pitch. The gunman also expressed grievances with the NFL for his apparent condition.
Tamura, who traveled from Las Vegas to carry out the attack, was a competitive football player in his youth. He wrote in his note, “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” and urged experts to “study my brain,” reported CNN.
The note also referenced Terry Long, a former football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers who was diagnosed with CTE before taking his life in 2005.
A motive for the shooting has not yet been officially established, but the Manhattan building where the attack occurred houses the NFL’s offices. Investigators are examining whether that was the reason the gunman targeted the location, sources told NBC News.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed in a memo to staff that an NFL employee was also seriously injured in the “unspeakable act of violence” on Monday and is currently in the hospital in stable condition.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a Monday press conference that Tamura had a “documented mental health history,” but that investigators are still “working to understand why he targeted this particular location.”
After opening fire in the lobby, the gunman did not travel to the fifth floor where the NFL office is, but instead ended up on Rudin Management’s floor by mistake, two unnamed officers told Bloomberg. The officers also mentioned to Bloomberg the shooter had a note on him which indicated a “fixation” with CTE, and that the NFL did not do enough to help those with the condition.
Tamura attended high school in Los Angeles and was a star running back at Granada Hills Charter High School, reported FOX 11 LA.
Walter Roby, who was head coach at the school during Tamura’s senior year, described him as “very quiet” and a “hard worker.”
“He was coachable. So whatever we asked him to do, he was doing it. He was one of my top offensive players at the time,” Roby told FOX 11.
“Could I have done more? Could I help the kid? Could I have reached out to him or could you reach out to me? It’s just a lot of things I’m trying to process right now.”
Elsewhere, tributes have been paid to the police officer who was killed in Monday’s shooting.
The NYPD said Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old father of two whose wife is heavily pregnant, represented the “very best of our department.”
“He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today,” the department posted on X. “We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honour his legacy.”
The other three victims have not been identified.
The NYPD and the NFL did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from the Daily Beast.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
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