Who Was Shane Tamura, The Midtown Manhattan Shooting Suspect, And Why Did He Target The NFL?

A Nevada man recently traveled to New York City, entered a Manhattan building wearing body armor, carrying an M4 rifle, and fatally shot four people Monday evening, including a New York Police Department officer and injured another, before killing himself. 

The act is one of the deadliest mass shootings the city has seen in 25 years. Investigators are probing the Midtown attack, the gunman and a possible motive.

Here’s everything to know about the deadly shooting, including details about the gunman, when and where the incident occurred, the victims, and how the suspect’s mental health played a central role.

Who is Shane Tamura?

The shooting suspect, Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, was captured on surveillance footage leaving a double-parked black BMW and walking into an office building at 345 Park Ave. at East 52nd Street just before 6:30 p.m. Monday, NBC News reported.

The building is home to several global firms, including Blackstone, the National Football League, Rudin Management and KPMG.

He sprayed gunfire in the lobby and again on the 33rd floor, striking multiple people on both levels before killing himself, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Monday evening news conference.

“According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history,” Tisch said. “His motives are still under investigation.”

What mental health issues did Shane Tamura have, and what did he say about the NFL?

Tamura also had a note in his pocket, claiming he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease linked to head trauma from contact sports like football and other areas, where repetitive head injuries can happen, according to Indiana University School of Medicine.

“You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” Tamura wrote in the three-page note investigators found at the shooting, according to a source familiar with the matter.

In the third page, Tamura said, “Study my brain please. I’m sorry,” sources said, per ABC 7 New York.

Tamura played football in high school. Those who knew him were shocked to hear that he was the suspected gunman in the mass shooting.

“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,” one of Tamura’s former teammates told KABC Los Angeles. “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.”

Later on, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “He seemed to have blamed the NFL,” Adams told WPIX-TV, as ESPN reported. “The NFL headquarters was located in the building, and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank.”

Who were the victims in the deadly shooting?

Tamura drove across the country for three days before arriving in New York City on Monday afternoon. Investigators confirmed he registered the car in Las Vegas. Tisch said they found prescribed medication, a rifle case with rounds, ammunition magazines, and a loaded revolver inside the vehicle. 

The slain NYPD officer was 36-year-old Didarul Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant who worked for the police force for over three years. He had two young sons, and his wife is pregnant with their third child, authorities said, according to CNN.

“Everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person,” Adams said of Islam, calling him a hero.

Other victims included a man and a woman who were shot and taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they later died. Another woman was found dead on the 33rd floor, police said, but they’re withholding their names until family notifications occur, the police commissioner noted. 

One of the women killed in the attack was Blackstone employee Wesley LePatner, the company confirmed Tuesday. She leaves behind a husband and children, the firm said in a statement.

According to CBS News, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that a league employee was seriously injured in the shooting and is in stable condition. The organization has not released the person’s name, but they’re recovering with the help of their family.

“We are deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this threat quickly and decisively and to Officer Islam, who gave his life to protect others,” Goodell said.