The horrifying shooting rampage at a bustling Manhattan office tower on Monday, which left four innocent people dead, including an off-duty police officer, was a calculated act of violence aimed at the National Football League’s headquarters, but the gunman took the wrong elevator, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed today. This chilling detail offers a partial, albeit deeply disturbing, glimpse into the motive behind the senseless attack.
The gunman, identified as Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, unleashed a volley of gunfire at 345 Park Avenue, a prominent skyscraper that houses a multitude of businesses, including the NFL, investment giant Blackstone, and KPMG. Authorities confirmed Tamura died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
Mayor Adams, speaking in interviews, stated that investigators believe Tamura was trying to reach the NFL offices, located on the fifth floor of the building. However, he entered the wrong elevator banks after indiscriminately opening fire in the lobby.
A three-page note found in Tamura’s wallet provided a crucial insight into his grievance. The note reportedly suggested he believed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma common in contact sports. Tamura, who played high school football in California nearly two decades ago but never professionally in the NFL, reportedly expressed profound anger at the league, accusing it of concealing the dangers to players’ brains for profit.
In the note, Tamura repeatedly apologized and specifically requested that his brain be studied for CTE, according to the New York Police Department. The note also referenced former NFL player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE and whose suicide in 2005 had drawn attention to the disease. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed Tamura had a “documented mental health history.”
The shooting unfolded with terrifying speed. Surveillance video showed Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6:30 p.m. Monday, armed with an M4 rifle. He marched across a plaza and immediately opened fire in the lobby, killing 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was working a corporate security detail. Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh, was married with two children and his wife is pregnant. He “died as he lived: a hero,” Tisch said.
Tamura then shot a woman who tried to take cover, before making his way to the elevator bank, where he shot a security guard and another man in the lobby. He then took an elevator to the 33rd floor, which houses the offices of Rudin Management, the building’s owner. There, he shot and killed one person before turning the gun on himself. Blackstone confirmed that one of its senior managing directors, real estate executive Wesley LePatner, was among those killed on that floor.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the shooting “an unspeakable act of violence in our building,” expressing gratitude to law enforcement and mourning the officer who “gave his life to protect others.” He also confirmed in a memo to staff that an NFL employee was seriously injured in the attack and is hospitalized in stable condition.
The tragedy has left New York City’s corporate community on edge, particularly following the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December in a different part of Manhattan. While the city has seen a significant decrease in homicides this year, the Park Avenue shooting underscores the persistent threat of gun violence and the devastating impact of mental health crises, particularly when intertwined with perceived grievances against high-profile institutions.
As investigators continue to piece together the full timeline and delve deeper into Tamura’s psychological state, the revelation that his deadly rampage was misdirected to the wrong floor adds a layer of tragic irony to an already harrowing event, highlighting the random and devastating nature of such attacks.