A tragic mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan Monday evening may have been even deadlier had the gunman found his intended target.
According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the shooter—identified as Shane Devon Tamura—entered 345 Park Avenue with plans to attack the National Football League’s offices, but ended up on the wrong floor after taking the wrong elevator. Instead of reaching the NFL offices, Tamura exited on the 33rd floor, which houses Rudin Management, a real estate firm.
Tamura, a former high school football player, left behind a suicide note claiming he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma in contact sports. He expressed anger at the NFL, referencing the case of former player Terry Long, who also died by suicide.
“You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” Tamura reportedly wrote. “Terry Long football gave me CTE… Study my brain please. I’m sorry.”
Armed with an M4 rifle, Tamura arrived at the skyscraper around 6:30 p.m., parked his BMW, and began his rampage in the lobby. He fatally shot an off-duty police officer and a woman attempting to take cover, then killed a security guard and another man near the elevators before heading up to the 33rd floor. Once there, he fatally shot another individual before taking his own life.
Among the victims was 36-year-old NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and three-year department veteran. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch hailed him as a hero: “He put himself in harm’s way. He died as he lived.”
Also killed was Wesley LePatner, a senior executive at investment giant Blackstone, whose offices are located in the same building. The firm released a statement mourning her loss, calling her “brilliant, passionate, warm, and deeply respected.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that one league employee had been seriously injured in the attack but was in stable condition. In a memo to staff, Goodell pledged additional security measures at NFL facilities and emphasized the league’s commitment to supporting affected employees and their families.
“This is a difficult time,” he wrote. “We will get through this together.”
