Shooting at Manhattan Skyscraper Leaves Four Dead; Gunman Identified as Las Vegas Casino Worker

^{An ambulance carries the body of Didarul Islam, one of four victims in the shooting in Manhattan, in a dignified transfer. (Photo: Associated Press)}

A gunman killed four people before killing himself at a midtown Manhattan office building on Monday afternoon in an attack that was meant to target the headquarters of the National Football League.

The suspected shooter was identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas.

Shooter Took Wrong Elevator in Attempt to Reach NFL Offices

Tamura wrote a three-page note claiming that he had developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from playing football. In the letter, Tamura accused the NFL of hiding the dangers of brain injury related to football and other contact sports.

Based on the letter, it appeared that Tamura intended to target the NFL headquarters, located in the same Park Avenue building where the shooting took place. However, officials say that he took the wrong elevator up to where the Blackstone investment firm was located.

Tamura fired his AR-15-style rifle in the lobby of the building, then shot another person in a 33^rd-floor office before turning the gun on himself.

The victims of the shooting have been identified as security officer Aland Etienne, real estate associate Julia Hyman, NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, and investment firm director Wesley LePatner. NFL employee Craig Clementi was also shot and seriously wounded. In a Tuesday email, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that Clementi was in stable condition.

“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,” Godell said in a statement. 

Gunman Worked, Lived in Las Vegas

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a video statement that Tamura had most recently worked in an overnight security position at the Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

According to Tisch, NYPD detectives are heading to Las Vegas in order to further investigate the crime. In her statement, Tisch said that police will question a man who purchased a lower receiver that Tamura used in assembling his rifle, as well as execute a search warrant at Tamura’s home. Police are also executing search warrants on Tamura’s vehicle and two cellphones found at the scene.

In recent updates from CNN, law enforcement officials say the gunman's supervisor at the Horseshoe Casino legally purchased the rifle in August 2024 and later sold it to Tamura for $1,400. The same supervisor reportedly sold Tamura the car used to drive to New York for the shooting, and he is actively cooperating with the investigation. The Horseshoe Casino has not commented on the shooting at this time.

“This information will give us a detailed picture of how and why this happened, but it will not do anything to ease the pain of losing one of our own,” Tisch said. 

According to media reports, Tamura played high school football in California a decade ago, but never professionally. In his note, Tamura referenced a PBS Frontline documentary about CTE and referenced the suicide of NFL player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE before killing himself in 2005.

As in the suicides of former NFL players Dave Duerson and Junior Seau, Tamura shot himself in the chest. Like Duerson, Tamura’s note included a request that his brain be used for study.

Tributes Pour in for Victims

Condolences for the victims of the shooting came in from across the NFL and from New York City officials following the attack, including from NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who made a point of praising Officer Islam’s service.

“Officer Didarul Islam died as he lived, a hero and protector of New York City,” Adams wrote on social media.

“When he joined the police department, his mother asked him why he would pursue such a dangerous job,” Mamdani wrote of Islam. “He told her it was to leave behind a legacy that his family could be proud of. He has done that, and more.”