The gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan skyscraper shooting, including an NYPD officer, was targeting the NFL headquarters but entered the wrong office, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed. Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, carried a note blaming chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) (a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma) for his mental illness, though he never played professionally. The attack marks one of New York City’s deadliest workplace shootings in recent years.
Among the dead was NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, a security guard at the building, along with Wesley LePatner, an employee of financial firm Blackstone, and two male civilians. An NFL staffer was seriously injured, Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed in a memo. Tamura, who drove cross-country before the attack, used an assault-style rifle to shoot up the lobby before taking an elevator to the 33rd floor, where he continued firing before killing himself.
CTE Note Reveals Shooter’s Grudge Against NFL
Mayor Adams told CBS News that Tamura’s handwritten note “alluded to him believing he had CTE from football*m and blamed the NFL.” Former teammates from his California high school confirmed Tamura played football but never professionally. The gunman mistakenly entered offices of Rudin Management, the building’s owner, instead of the NFL’s headquarters on another floor.
Midtown Manhattan on Lockdown as Police Hunt Active Shooter
The attack triggered a massive NYPD response, shutting down parts of Midtown Manhattan and halting subway lines. Eyewitness Nekeisha Lewis described “gunfire like a warzone” as victims fled the Park Avenue skyscraper. Police spent hours clearing the building floor-by-floor, while BBC journalists at the scene reported bloodied victims on stretchers.
Why It Matters
With assault rifles increasingly used in mass shootings, critics are demanding tighter gun control laws and improved mental health screenings. The NFL, which has faced scrutiny over player brain injuries, has yet to comment on Tamura’s alleged motives.
This tragedy has left families grieving and Manhattan workers questioning safety. “This was the most terrifying moment of my life,” Lewis said.
