Police are still working to understand the motive of a 27-year-old Nevada man who opened fire at a midtown Manhattan skyscraper and killed at least four people before shooting himself.
Shane Tamura walked into the lobby of 345 Park Ave., an office building that houses the NFL headquarters and major financial firms, with an M4 rifle on the evening of July 28, and “immediately” began shooting, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.
He shot and killed at least four people, including 36-year-old New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam.
Tisch said the suspect had a “documented mental health history.” Authorities believe he acted alone.
Tamura left a note that appeared to blame the NFL for a brain injury, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a July 29 appearance on CBS.
“He did have a note on him. The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports,” Adams said. “He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.”
Here’s what we know so far about the gunman.
Tamura’s car drove across the U.S. before shooting
Tamura was seen exiting a double-parked black BMW outside of the Manhattan skyscraper before he entered the lobby, turned right and began shooting. The vehicle was registered under Tamura’s name in Nevada, Tisch said.
Police discovered the vehicle had traveled across the country through Colorado on July 26, and through Nebraska and Iowa on July 27, Tish said. They tracked the vehicle in Columbia, New Jersey, a city about 70 miles west of New York City, at 4:24 p.m. on July 28, hours before the shooting.
Inside, officers found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition, magazines and a backpack with medication prescribed to Tamura in the vehicle.
Tamura appeared to target NFL headquarters
Officials said Tamura immediately shot New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam after entering building. He then shot a security guard behind a security desk, a woman who took cover behind a pillar and another man in the lobby.
The gunman then entered an elevator and went to the 33rd floor, where the building’s owner, Rudin Management, is located and fired several rounds. One person was shot and killed, before Tamura took his own life, Tisch said.
Preliminary investigations show the gunman may have taken the wrong elevator and intended to get to the NFL headquarters, rather than Rudin Management, according to Adams.
“That is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees,” Adams said during his CBS interview.
An NFL employee was seriously injured in the mass shooting, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to staff members.
“We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared,” Goodell wrote in the memo, obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
This is a developing story.
