A Las Vegas man armed with a high-powered rifle entered an office building in midtown Manhattan on Monday and opened fire, killing four people, including an off-duty New York City police officer, and wounding another before killing himself, officials say.

The shooting occurred at 345 Park Ave., a 44-story high-rise whose tenants include the National Football League and the financial services firms KPMG and Blackstone.

The gunman was identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura. According to multiple news outlets, Tamura was carrying a note that suggested he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a brain disease caused by head trauma that has been linked to NFL players.

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The note reportedly made reference to Terry Long, a former offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers who killed himself in 2005 by drinking antifreeze.

“Study my brain please,” the note said, according to the New York Times. “I’m sorry.”

How the shooting unfolded

An NYPD officer outside 345 Park Ave., the site of the shooting. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

According to police, surveillance footage showed the gunman exit a double-parked BMW around 6:30 p.m. carrying an M4 rifle, walk across a public plaza and enter the building. Once inside the lobby, he began “spraying it with gunfire,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Tamura shot four people in the lobby, including the NYPD officer, who was working as a corporate security detail, and another security guard, officials said. He then took the elevator to the 33rd-floor offices of Rudin, a building management firm, where he shot and killed another person before fatally shooting himself in the chest.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that it appeared Tamura was trying to get to the NFL offices but took the wrong elevator. The league’s offices are on the fifth through eighth floors.

“He mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank,” Adams said.

A police officer arrives at the scene of the shooting. (Angelina Katsanis/AP)

Employees on other floors barricaded themselves when they heard the gunfire.

Jessica Chen told ABC News she was watching a presentation on the second floor when she heard multiple shots go off “in quick succession” on the floor below her. Chen said she and dozens of others rushed into a conference room, barricaded themselves inside using tables and “just stayed still.”

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She texted her parents, saying she loved them.

“I think it was very, very apparent through all this that a lot of us were young, a lot of us went through training in elementary school of what to do in an active shooter situation,” Chen added. “We were all unfortunately prepared.”

Staffers throughout the building were told to shelter in place.

What we know about the victims

New York Police Department Officer Didarul Islam. (NYPD)

The off-duty NYPD officer killed in the shooting was identified as 36-year-old Didarul Islam, a married father of two whose wife is pregnant with their third child and is due to give birth next month.

Islam, who emigrated to the United States from Bangladesh, was a member of the NYPD’s 47th Precinct in the Bronx. He had been with the NYPD for more than three years.

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In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said that Islam “acted quickly and heroically putting himself in harm’s way to defend others.”

“He made the ultimate sacrifice,” Tisch said. “He died as he lived: a hero.”

Aland Etienne (Gathmand Etienne/Facebook)

Another security guard killed in the lobby was identified by his union as 46-year-old Aland Etienne.

In a statement, 32BJ Service Employees International Union president Manny Pastreich remembered Etienne as a “dedicated security officer who took his job duties extremely seriously.”

“This tragedy speaks to the sacrifice of security officers who risk their lives every day to keep New Yorkers and our buildings safe,” Pastreich added. “Every time a security officer puts on their uniform, they put their lives on the line. Their contributions to our city are essential, though often unappreciated. Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such.”

Wesley LePatner, a Blackstone executive. (Blackstone)

Wesley LePatner, a 43-year-old real estate executive at Blackstone, was among those killed in the shooting.

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“Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” the company said in a statement. “Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.”

According to her LinkedIn profile, LePatner was a Yale graduate who joined the firm in 2014 after spending more than a decade at Goldman Sachs. She also served on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Rudin issued a statement confirming that one of its employees had been killed but did not release that person’s name.

New York Mayor Eric Adams attends a dignified transfer of Islam’s body. (Eric Adams via X/Handout via Reuters)

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that one of the league’s employees was “seriously injured” in the shooting.

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“One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack,” Goodell wrote in a memo to staff late Monday, according to Yahoo Sports. “He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family.”

What we know about the gunman

An undated image of Shane Tamura. (Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles via AP)

Tamura lived in Las Vegas and worked nights as a surveillance department employee at Caesars’ Horseshoe hotel and casino.

Tisch said he had a “documented mental health history.”

ABC News reported that Tamura had “mental health crisis holds” placed on him in 2022 and 2024.

“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,” per ABC News.

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Authorities believe that Tamura had recently driven across the country. License plate readers spotted his vehicle in Colorado on Saturday, Nebraska and Iowa on Sunday, and in New Jersey on Monday afternoon before it entered New York City.

Inside the vehicle, police found a rifle case with rounds, ammunition magazines and a loaded revolver, as well as prescription medication, Tisch said.

The commissioner said Tamura had a license to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Nevada, adding: “We believe this to be a lone shooter.”

Former classmates stunned

Tamura in an interview from when he played for the Granada Hills high school football team. (Movies of Century/YouTube)

Tamura attended high school at Granada Hills Charter School in Los Angeles, where he played football.

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Former classmates, teammates and coaches told NBC News that they were shocked to learn Tamura was a suspect in the shooting.

“This is so shocking,” said Anthony Michael Leon, a former teammate. “I’m telling you, this was one of those kids who never exerted bad energy or a negative attitude.”

“You never would have thought violence was something you’d associate with him,” said Caleb Clarke, a former classmate.

Walter Roby, his former football coach, remembered Tamura as a talented running back.

“He came in, worked hard, kept his nose down,” Roby said. “He was a quiet kid, well-mannered, very coachable. Whatever needed to be done, he would do.”

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Roby said he was stunned to hear that Tamura was identified as the suspect in Monday’s rampage.

“I’m just blown away right now,” Roby said.

Trump briefed on shooting

Tamura’s residence in Las Vegas. (Ty O’Neil/AP)

In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday morning, President Trump, who was on an overseas trip to Europe, said he had 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,” Trump 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!”

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump was asked whether he had spoken with any of the families of the victims.

“I don’t want to tell you that,” the president said.

Tamura attended high school in Southern California, where he was a football player, according to his former teammates, who said they were stunned to learn he was a suspect in the shooting.

“You never would have thought violence was something you’d associate with him,” former classmate Caleb Clarke told NBC News. “Everything he said was a joke.”

Tamura transferred to Granada Hills Charter School in Granada Hills, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, in 2015 when he was a senior, coming from a school in Santa Clarita, Clarke said.

Clarke indicated that the pair lost touch but reconnected through social media recently and that Tamura worked at a Las Vegas casino.

Former coach Walter Roby said Tamura was a talented running back and “a great player” who was “real elusive, real agile.”

“He came in, worked hard, kept his nose down,” Roby added. “He was a quiet kid, well-mannered, very coachable. Whatever needed to be done, he would do.”

Roby said he was shocked that Tamura was suspected of carrying out a mass shooting.

“I’m just blown away right now,” he said.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during an interview in New York on Tuesday. CNN

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reiterated her call for a ban on assault weapons in an interview with CNN today, following the deadly Manhattan shooting that left four people dead.

Hochul said the gunman was able to obtain a concealed-carry permit because of Nevada’s “much looser laws.”

“This goes to the difference between state laws related to gun ownership. In the state of New York, you cannot buy one of these. You have to be over age 18. You cannot have access. I mean, he had a concealed carry permit, which allowed him to have this weapon. Much looser laws in the state of Nevada than we have here. And so our argument is this, like, if every state had the same laws uniformly, you could not have a situation,” Hochul said.

Hochul criticized Republicans in Congress for not pushing for a nationwide assault weapons ban, accusing them of being “intimidated” by the gun lobby and election cycles.

“I don’t want to be having my residents affected by someone coming from another state, who could easily get their hands on this assault weapon, travel across multiple states and do what they did just yesterday. So I want to be able to protect New Yorkers, it’s my number one priority, and it’s hard to do it when states aren’t stepping up and certainly Congress has let us down,” the governor said.

Hochul added there needs to be “a national awakening here. People need to be talking about this once again and it should just happen in the wake of a tragedy like this it should be an ongoing conversation.”

Remember: The gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, was licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Nevada and was carrying an M4 assault-style rifle at the time of the shooting. This is the deadliest gun attack in New York City in 25 years.

Four people were killed by a gunman on Monday afternoon in a building on Park Avenue in Manhattan.

As New York City grappled with the aftermath of Monday night’s mass shooting, the undertones of the mayoral election in November were on display.

Mayor Eric Adams tried to play the role of crisis manager as his chief opponent, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, moved quickly to return home from a vacation in Uganda.

The shooting, which claimed the lives of four victims, including a New York City police officer, was the first high-profile crisis to occur during the general election campaign.

The shooting may put concerns over gun violence back on voters’ minds, and may lead some to further scrutinize Mr. Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, who has relatively limited experience in government and has not handled a high-profile crisis while in office.

Mr. Mamdani, 33, a democratic socialist, embraced calls to “defund the police” in 2020 but no longer supports doing so. While some other mayoral candidates have called for hiring thousands of police officers, Mr. Mamdani has said that he would keep the police head count at its current level and create a new city agency focused on addressing mental health issues.

Mr. Mamdani was traveling back to New York City on Tuesday and planned to arrive by early Wednesday from Uganda, according to a person who was familiar with the matter. Mr. Mamdani had been celebrating his recent marriage at his family’s compound in Kampala.

But some of his foes have already begun highlighting his past support for defunding the police, including former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who is running for mayor as an independent after he was soundly defeated by Mr. Mamdani in the primary.

Mr. Cuomo argued in an interview that having adopted a “defund” stance was disqualifying.

“He clearly does not understand what public safety is all about,” Mr. Cuomo said. “And he clearly does not understand the role of the police, the sacrifice they’re making.”

Mr. Cuomo also said he thought Mr. Mamdani’s trip, which lasted about a week and a half, had been ill-advised.

“I don’t understand why you go to Uganda for two weeks, frankly, in the middle of a campaign,” Mr. Cuomo said, adding: “I didn’t take a two-week vacation in 16 years. I’ve never heard of that.”

Zara Rahim, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani’s campaign, said in a statement that Mr. Cuomo’s comments were inappropriate in the wake of the shooting.

“Families across our city are mourning — including members of our Muslim community grieving an officer who leaves behind his pregnant wife and young children,” she said.

“Our focus is on supporting those who’ve lost loved ones and bringing our communities together in the face of tragedy,” she added. “This is a moment for compassion and solidarity — not cheap shots in the press.”

Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, who is contemplating challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul next year, also used the shooting as an opportunity to criticize Mr. Mamdani. She referred to him on social media as “Kathy Hochul’s very own Commie Mamdani. A disgrace and truly unfit to be Mayor of NYC.” (Mr. Mamdani is not a communist.)

Ms. Hochul defended Mr. Mamdani in an appearance on CNN on Tuesday when asked about Ms. Stefanik’s criticism.

“That’s about as pathetic as it gets,” she said. “I mean, seriously, going after an unelected official who said something back in 2020 when many people were — I mean, come on, give me a break.”

She also criticized Ms. Stefanik for federal budget cuts that hurt New York and for her stances on gun control. “Stand up to the gun lobby and show that you have the courage to do something that’s actually pretty useful,” Ms. Hochul said, “instead of just complaining about tweets.”

Mr. Mamdani responded to the shooting on social media shortly after it occurred, like the other candidates for mayor. On Monday evening, before the number of deaths was confirmed, he said that he held “the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts. Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground.”

Early Tuesday morning, Mr. Mamdani posted a tribute to Officer Islam, the police officer who was shot and killed.

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

Mr. Mamdani’s posts on the shooting were similar to those made by top congressional leaders, like Representative Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, and Mr. Cuomo, who also issued two statements.

Mr. Cuomo’s first post noted his gratitude “for the courage of our NYPD and first responders, and my prayers are with the victims and their families.”

By Tuesday morning, he had followed up with a post about Officer Islam: “Officer Didarul Islam’s courage was as boundless as his love for this city. He gave his life protecting New Yorkers. A hero. We honor his sacrifice and the quiet bravery of every NYPD officer who stands the watch so we can live free.”

Mr. Adams, who is running for a second term with record-low approval ratings, is a former police officer who has mourned the deaths of officers and met with their families. Mr. Adams based his successful mayoral candidacy on being a law-and-order candidate, vowing to make the city safer.

In his first month as mayor in 2022, two officers were killed when they responded to a domestic dispute in Manhattan, and Mr. Adams spoke at their funerals. But with crime falling in the city this year, public safety was not a major issue in the Democratic primary campaign.

On Monday, Mr. Adams visited the scene of the shooting and then went to the hospital to meet with Officer Islam’s family. He held a news conference with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to update the public. After midnight, he posted a solemn video on his way to honor the officer.

“This is a constant reminder of those officers, men and women who place their lives on the line every day for us,” he said.

Mr. Mamdani’s trip to Uganda, where he was born and lived as a child, was intended to be a respite after months of long days on the campaign trail and more ahead during the general election.

Mr. Adams took a trip to Europe in the summer of 2021 after winning that year’s Democratic primary and refused to tell reporters where he was going; it later came out that he went to Monaco. He also traveled to Ghana that year.

Mr. Cuomo used Mr. Mamdani’s trip to Uganda to take a dig at him on social media, highlighting a story by The New York Post and asking readers to choose the “correct term” to describe the wedding celebration — “champagne socialism” or “trust fund socialism.”

Mr. Mamdani’s trip also prompted bad-faith questions about his right to cross the U.S. border. President Trump and other Republicans have for weeks questioned his U.S. citizenship status and called for him to be deported. Mr. Mamdani has lived in New York City since 1998, when he was 7 years old. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2018.

On Monday night, Laura Loomer, an ally of Mr. Trump, attacked Mr. Mamdani on social media and posted a poll asking whether Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, should “block Mamdani from re-entering the U.S. from Uganda.”

Grace Ashford contributed reporting.

Source: X

What is CTE?

Symptoms of CTE

Early-onset behavioral and emotional issues (typically beginning in a person’s 20s or 30s):

Later-onset cognitive decline (generally starting in the 50s or 60s):

What causes CTE?

A 27-year-old gunman who carried out a deadly shooting at a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper this week claimed he suffered from a degenerative brain condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), blaming the NFL for his mental decline.Shane Tamura killed four people, including an NYPD officer, before turning the gun on himself on the 33rd floor of 345 Park Avenue, the same building that houses the National Football League’s headquarters. Found in his pocket was a handwritten three-page note accusing the league of “concealing the dangers” of repeated head trauma and urging authorities to study his brain after death.“You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” Tamura wrote, referencing the 2005 suicide of Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long, who was posthumously diagnosed with CTE. “Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us.”Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that Tamura appeared to be targeting NFL employees but got off at the wrong elevator bank. “It appears as though he was going after the employees of the NFL,” Adams said, noting that Tamura never actually played in the league. Still, Tamura claimed a personal connection to football-related brain damage.The shooting has once again turned public attention toward CTE, a poorly understood and currently untreatable brain disorder.Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive and fatal brain disease believed to result from repeated head trauma. It causes nerve cell degeneration, brain shrinkage (atrophy), and a wide range of cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms. The condition can only be definitively diagnosed after death, via autopsy.CTE has been most notably found in athletes in high-impact sports like football and boxing, as well as in military personnel exposed to combat blasts. However, it has also been documented in victims of domestic violence and individuals with repeated concussions.Symptoms of CTE are broad and may not appear until years, sometimes, decades after the brain trauma occurred. There are two commonly observed patterns:Impulsive or aggressive behaviorAnxiety and depressionEmotional instabilitySubstance abuseSuicidal thoughts or actionsMemory lossTrouble with thinking, planning, and decision-makingDementia-like symptomsIn more advanced stages, CTE may also cause movement-related issues resembling Parkinson’s disease, including speech and balance problems.CTE is linked to repeated head trauma, ranging from diagnosed concussions to lesser-known “sub-concussive” hits. Research suggests it’s not one major blow that causes CTE but rather the cumulative effect of repeated injuries over time.In individuals with CTE, scientists have found abnormal deposits of a protein called tau. These deposits disrupt normal brain function by interfering with how nerve cells communicate. The pattern and location of tau buildup in CTE differ from other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.