A mentally ill gunman from Las Vegas opened fire inside a Midtown Manhattan office tower Monday evening, killing four people-including an NYPD officer-and injuring several others before turning the weapon on himself, authorities said. The suspect, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, was believed to be targeting the NFL's headquarters but took the wrong elevator, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Surveillance footage showed Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW with Nevada plates outside 345 Park Avenue just before 6:30 p.m., carrying an M4-style assault rifle. He entered the building and shot Officer Didarul Islam, 36, an NYPD officer on corporate security duty. Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh, had served with the department for three and a half years. "He died as he lived: a hero," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Tamura, who had a "documented mental health history," according to Las Vegas law enforcement, then opened fire on civilians in the lobby, killing two and injuring others. He proceeded to the 33rd floor-believed to be the location of the NFL offices-but mistakenly accessed the offices of Rudin Management, where he shot another victim before fatally shooting himself.
Investigators recovered a handwritten note from Tamura referencing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma in contact sports. Mayor Adams said, "He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury." Tamura, a former high school football player, reportedly requested that his brain be studied posthumously.
One of the victims was Wesley LePatner, a senior executive at Blackstone. 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."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed in a memo that an NFL employee was seriously wounded and hospitalized in stable condition. "We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for," Goodell wrote. He directed employees to work from home Tuesday and said the league would increase security and offer grief counseling.
The high-rise, home to the NFL, Blackstone, KPMG, and other major firms, descended into chaos during the shooting. "I was at work and this guy came in with an assault rifle and started shooting," one witness told The New York Post. Another, Jessica Chen, said about 150 people were in a presentation on the second floor when shots rang out. "We heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor," she told ABC News.
Tamura had failed to report to work at a Las Vegas casino on Sunday before driving cross-country to New York. His vehicle was spotted across several states before reaching Manhattan on Monday. A search of his BMW uncovered prescription medication, a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, extra magazines, a backpack, and a Las Vegas concealed firearms permit valid through 2027.
