On Monday evening, suspect Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old man, shot and killed four people before turning the gun and shooting himself in the chest, killing him. A fifth victim, who has been identified as an NFL employee, was left in critical condition and is now stable.
The shooting occurred just after 6 p.m. in an office building on Park Ave. in Manhattan. The building contains headquarters for an asset management firm Blackstone and the National Football League.
Among the victims were an off-duty NYPD police officer, Didarul Islam, and Blackstone executive, Wesley Patner. A security guard for the building and another other victim were also killed.
The police said Tamura had a three-page note that was found in his wallet, referencing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Sources say one page accused the NFL of concealing evidence of the damage football can have on the brain in order to maximize profits, and a second page mentioned the links between football and CTE.
A third page, sources say, said: “Study my brain please. I’m sorry.”
CTE is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma, often found in football players. Symptoms of the disease include behavioral and mood problems that worsen over time.
Mayor Eric Adams said, “He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.” Tamura did not play in the NFL but in high school football. Adams also said it is believed he was targeting the NFL headquarters but took a wrong elevator that led him to the headquarters of Blackstone.
It has not yet been determined if Tamura’s brain will be used for CTE studies.
“No word can fill the void that has been left by this tragedy,” Adams said, “We will continue to do what we do as a city, and that is fight to protect innocent New Yorkers.”
