Shane Tamura, Midtown gunman, claimed he suffered from CTE in note found in his pocket
MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- The 27-year-old man who shot and killed four people at a Midtown office building on Monday carried a note in his pocket claiming he suffered from CTE, asked that his brain be studied and made references to the NFL.
The suspect, Shane Tamura, who the police said has a documented mental health history, played high school football in Los Angeles but did not play professionally.
Sources described the three-page letter as rambling and containing references to the NFL. The references were found to be vague by the sources.
345 Park Avenue houses, among other companies, the NFL headquarters.
One page of the note found in Tamura's pocket accused the NFL of concealing the dangers to players' brains to maximize profits, sources said.
A second page mentioned CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease likely caused by repeated head injuries, and blamed football. A third page asked, "Study my brain please. I'm sorry," sources said.
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.
On Tuesday, police say they found a second note in Las Vegas, where Tamura lived, sources told ABC News, describing it, at least in part, as an apology to his parents.
Tamura walked into 345 Park Avenue with no effort to conceal an M4 assault rifle equipped with a scope and a barrel flashlight.
In his car at the time of the attack, there was a loaded revolver that was purchased legally, ammunition, medication and two cell phones.
At the end of the rampage, Tamura died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a 33rd floor office where he had barricaded himself.
A former teammate of his spoke to our sister station KABC in Los Angeles about Tamura.
"He was a great teammate. He was a great guy in general. He didn't cause any problems actually, at all in the locker room or on the field," he said. "He was just a guy who really enjoyed the sport, not problematic at all so when I found out the news, I was really shocked, I really couldn't believe it."
The LAPD confirmed Tuesday night that Tamura's father Terence Tamura was an LAPD officer who retired in good standing in August of 2017. They say he began his service in 1990 and served 27 years with the department. He was a Police Officer III rank when he retired.
As for the younger Tamura, he had two Mental Health Crisis Holds in his background in Nevada, one in 2022 and the other in 2024.
This typically allows someone 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 (concealed carry) in 2022 and also has a previous arrest for trespassing in the state after he allegedly grabbed a security guard and refused to leave a casino in Las Vegas. The charges were later dropped.
It is not known if he received his concealed carry permit before or after the mental health crisis hold.
In June, someone at a gun show in Las Vegas called in a tip claiming Tamura had purchased large amounts of ammunition and an aftermarket trigger.
Tamura lives about 20 minutes off the Vegas strip.
He worked as a security guard at the Horseshoe Hotel Casino and was scheduled to work on Sunday. He never showed up and instead was driving across the country on his way to commit a mass shooting.
A co-worker at the Horseshoe Casino purchased part of the M4 assault rifle and police are now trying to figure out where Tamura got the rest of the weapon.
"The weapon used an AR-15 assembled by Tamura using a lower receiver purchased by an associate. We have located that associate and others and will be questioning him about that purchase," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
In the note found on the gunman he wrote, "Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything."
Rick is believed to be the suspect's security supervisor at the Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel and Casino who law enforcement believes purchased the lower receiver, which is the central piece of the rifle and the only portion that requires a background check to buy.
Las Vegas Police have interviewed him and NYPD Detectives will also speak with him, officials said.
The Horseshoe Casino confirmed on Tuesday that he was an employee and released a statement:
"We can confirm that Shane Devon Tamura was a surveillance department employee at Horseshoe Las Vegas. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragic event. We are cooperating with law enforcement and will not be commenting further."
The Horseshoe Casino is owned by Caesars.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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