Manhattan shooter kills 4, says NFL caused his brain disease CTE in suicide note

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jul 30, 2025 03:48 IST

A gunman who shot and killed four people at a Manhattan office tower on Monday left behind a handwritten note blaming the Football League (NFL) for his deteriorating mental health and expressing regret for what he was about to do, authorities said.

The gunman, identified as Shane Tamura, 27, a former high school football player and Las Vegas casino worker, opened fire in the lobby of the 44-story skyscraper before heading to the 33rd floor, where he killed another person. Officials said he had intended to reach the NFL’s headquarters, located in the building, but took the wrong lift.

Amongst the victims were an off-duty NYPD officer and a private security guard. Tamura died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators recovered a three-page handwritten letter from Tamura’s wallet, in which he claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma — a condition he blamed on his years playing football in California.

However, Tamura never played professionally, but referenced former NFL player Terry Long, who died by suicide in 2005 after being diagnosed posthumously with CTE. Tamura wrote that he had watched a PBS Frontline documentary on the disease and believed his mental decline mirrored what was shown on screen.

Police said Tamura had a known history of mental illness and had recently driven cross-country from Nevada to New York. They are still reviewing his digital and travel history to understand what led him to the midtown building.

Though the NFL publicly denied the link between football and CTE for years, it acknowledged the connection in 2016 testimony before Congress. The league has since paid more than $1.4 billion in concussion-related settlements to retired players.

THE SHOOTING SHAKES MANHATTAN

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the shooting “an unspeakable act of violence in our building,” saying he was deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded and to the one who gave his life to protect others.

Goodell said in a memo to staff that a league employee was seriously injured in the attack and was hospitalized in stable condition.

The shooting happened along Park Avenue, one the nation’s most recognized streets, and just blocks from Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center. It’s also less than a 15-minute walk from where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed last December by a man who prosecutors say was angry over corporate greed.

The attack also drew a response from the White House, with President Donald Trump posting on social media, “My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

VIDEO SHOWS THE GUNMAN STROLL INTO THE BUIDLING

Shane Tamura, a former security guard at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, failed to report to work on Sunday and was later seen on surveillance video arriving in Manhattan in a BMW. He calmly walked across a midtown plaza with a rifle slung at his side before launching the deadly attack.

Inside the building — home to corporate offices including Blackstone and Rudin Management — Tamura opened fire in the lobby, killing Didarul Islam, an off-duty NYPD officer working as private security. He also shot a woman attempting to hide, and two more victims near the lift bank, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Tamura then rode an elevator to the 33rd floor, where he fatally shot Wesley LePatner, a Blackstone real estate executive, before turning the gun on himself. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, Mayor Eric Adams confirmed.

Another victim was identified as security officer Aland Etienne, according to a labour union.

Tamura used an AR-15-style rifle, and detectives plan to question a person who provided key components for the weapon, including its lower receiver.

The building remained closed Tuesday as police investigated the attack and reviewed Tamura’s background — including a handwritten note he left blaming mental illness and alleged brain damage on football-related trauma.

The OFF-DUTY OFFICER WAS FROM BANGLADESH

Islam, 36, an NYPD officer and immigrant from Bangladesh, was one of four victims killed in Monday’s shooting at a Park Avenue office building. Islam had served in the New York Police Department for three and a half years and was working a department-approved second job, in uniform, providing security when he was fatally shot.

His body was draped in the NYPD flag as it was moved from the hospital to an ambulance, with fellow officers standing at attention in solemn tribute.

Islam leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children. Friends and family visited their Bronx home Tuesday to offer food and condolences.

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