Midtown mass shooting: Gunman appeared to be targeting NFL in deadly office shooting, mayor says
The shooting occurred at 345 Park Ave. in Midtown Manhattan just before 6:30 p.m. on Monday
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Authorities say the gunman who opened fire in a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday night -- killing four people and injuring a fifth -- had a history of mental illness and may have been targeting the NFL.
Suspect Shane Tamura died by suicide after the mass shooting at 345 Park Avenue, which is home to NFL headquarters. Police sources told ABC News he had a three-page note in his pocket claiming he suffered from CTE.
Tamura, 27, played high school football in Los Angeles but did not play professionally; police have found no evidence so far that he suffered a traumatic brain injury or had CTE, sources said. He has no known connection to the NFL.
At the end of the shooting rampage, Tamura shot himself in the chest at the offices of Rudin Management, on the building's 33rd floor, authorities said.
Officials later found his handwritten suicide note.
"In that note Mr. Tamura claimed to be suffering from CTE, possibly from playing high school football, he also writes 'study my brain, I'm sorry,'" said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
A second note was found in Las Vegas, where Tamura lived, sources told ABC News, describing it, at least in part, as an apology to his parents.
VIGIL OFFERS COLLECTIVE PRAYER TO VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILES
A vigil was held Tuesday night to pay tribute to the lives lost after a gunman went on a shooting rampage in an office building in Midtown Manhattan on Monday.
Flanked by funeral flowers, Bryant Park served as an outdoor, ecumenical worship service to pray for the victims, their families and the city.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who has been a pillar of strength for the NYPD,attended the vigil and revealed that she lost not only one of her own officers, but also a personal friend: 43-year-old Wesley LePatner,a successful businesswoman and mother of two children.
SUSPECT MIGHT HAVE TAKEN WRONG ELEVATOR
Tamura was seen on surveillance video carrying a long rifle across the building's plaza before he entered the front doors and immediately opened fire.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday morning that the suspect took the wrong elevator bank directly to the 33rd floor, but it appears his intent was to go after the employees at the NFL.
"He, from our preliminary investigation, he took the wrong elevator bank up to the NFL headquarters," Adams said. "Instead, it took him to Rudin Management, and that is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees."
The mayor called it "eerie" to see surveillance video depicting the suspect allowing a woman to walk out of the elevator, sparing her from being shot.
"He allowed her to walk past him without any action at all. He just shot one of the security guards who was behind the desk," Adams said during an interview.
The founder of Group 77, a team of security and public safety professionals, discussed the security at 345 Park Avenue.
"You could have the best security measures in place, the best locking systems or protection, and that'll be the day the door doesn't close right or you trip or there was a power outage," said Group 77 founder Brian Higgins said. "So we can take every element possible, but there's an element of luck or a higher power that will manage this event."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the office will be closed through the end of next week, August 8, and asked that employees based in the New York office plan to work remotely until that time.
THE VICTIMS
Four people were killed: an executive at Blackstone who was a wife and mom, a police officer who was a dad of two with a third on the way, a security officer and an employee at Rudin Management.
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam was a 36-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant who joined the NYPD four years ago. His wife is currently eight-months pregnant.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said he made the ultimate sacrifice and and "he died as he lived -- a hero."
Wesley LePatner was an employee at Blackstone. The company remembered her in a statement as "brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond."
A third victim was identified by union 32BJ as SEIU security officer Aland Etienne, who took his job duties extremely seriously.
"Every time a security officer puts on their uniform, they put their lives on the line," 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said. "Their contributions to our city are essential, though often unappreciated. Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such.
Sources identified the fourth victim as Rudin Property Management employee Julia Hyman. She graduated from Cornell's Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration in 2020.
A fifth shooting victim who works for the NFL was injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, officials said. That victim is out of surgery and is stable, according to a source familiar with the individual's status.
SUSPECT'S MENTAL HEALTH HISTORY
Police traced Tamura's BMW's movements through multiple states since it left his home state of Nevada on Saturday and entered New York on Monday, about two hours before the shooting, sources said.
Tamura had two Mental Health Crisis Holds in his background in Nevada, one in 2022 and the other in 2024, law enforcement sources said. Those holds typically allow a person to be detained for up to 72 hours if they are thought to be a danger to themselves or others.
According to one source, when there is this type of hold in Nevada, officers have to transport the person to the hospital. Once that happens, medical staff take over and decide how long to hold the person.
A Las Vegas police source said Tamura also got his CCW, or concealed carry license, in 2022 and also has a previous arrest for trespassing in the state.
Horseshoe Casino, which is owned by Caesars, released a statement that Tamura worked for them as a surveillance department employee.
In the note obtained by officials, the suspect writes "tell Rick I'm sorry for everything." Rick is believed to be the suspect's security supervisor at the Horseshoe casino, who law enforcement believes purchased the lower receiver, the central piece of the rifle used in the shooting, and the only portion that requires a background check to buy.
Las Vegas Metro Police have already interviewed him and NYPD detectives will talk to him
Police are working to determine where the shooter purchased the remaining parts for the M4-style rifle.
NYPD HEADS TO LAS VEGAS
Detectives from the NYPD are on their way to Las Vegas as part of the ongoing investigation into the Midtown shooting, Mayor Adams said Tuesday.
"He was not on our radar. Part of our investigation is going to determine if he was on the radar of Nevada authorities," Adams said.
Police want to carry out a search warrant and trace the firearms that were recovered, the mayor said.
Detectives found additional ammunition in Tamura's BMW, but it is not known whether he planned to take additional action.
In addition, Adams said that to the NYPD's knowledge, the suspect was not on the NFL's radar, but it's still part of the investigation.
REACTION POURS IN
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday issued an impassioned statement pushing for an assault weapons ban.
"The killer used an AR-15-style assault rifle. The same weapon of war used in mass shootings across America," she said in a statement. "New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation. We banned assault weapons. We strengthened our Red Flag Law. We closed dangerous loopholes. But our laws only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder."
"The American people are tired of thoughts and prayers," the governor said. "Congress must summon the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and finally pass a national assault weapons ban before more innocent lives are stolen."
Hochul has ordered flags on all state government buildings to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.
"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we must confront this violence head on," she said. "My heart is with our neighbors in Manhattan, the victims and their families -- as well as the brave men and women of the NYPD."
President Donald Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday that he's been briefed "on the tragic shooting that took place in Manhattan, a place that I know and love."
"I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence," he wrote. "My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless the New York Police Department, and God Bless New York!"
(ABC News contributed to this report.)
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