A tragic shooting unfolded in a Manhattan office tower on Monday, claiming four lives and leaving a city in mourning. Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old casino security worker from Las Vegas, unleashed a deadly attack, blaming the National Football League for his mental health struggles.
According to AP News, Tamura intended to strike the NFL headquarters located in the Park Avenue skyscraper, but took the wrong elevator. His rampage left a police officer, a security guard, and two office workers dead before he ended his own life.
The incident has reignited debates over mental health, gun violence, and the NFL’s handling of brain injury risks in contact sports. Tamura carried a note claiming he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease tied to repeated head trauma.
Surveillance footage captured Tamura arriving at the building around 6:30 p.m. Monday, dressed in a button-down shirt and jacket, with an AR-15-style rifle at his side. He had driven across the country from Las Vegas, missing a scheduled shift at the Horseshoe casino on Sunday.
The gunman opened fire in the lobby, killing Officer Didarul Islam, who was on a paid security detail, and Wesley LePatner, a real estate executive with Blackstone. He then shot an unarmed security guard, Aland Etienne, and an NFL employee, who survived but remains hospitalized.
Tamura rode an elevator to the 33rd floor, targeting the offices of Rudin Management, the building’s owner. There, he killed another worker before turning the weapon on himself, leaving behind a trail of devastation.
In a handwritten note found in his wallet, Tamura accused the NFL of hiding the dangers of brain injuries for profit, citing a PBS Frontline documentary and referencing former player Terry Long, diagnosed with CTE. He apologized repeatedly in the note and requested that his brain be studied for the disease.
The NFL, which denied links between football and CTE until 2016, has since paid over $1.4 billion to settle concussion claims from retired players. Commissioner Roger Goodell called the shooting “an unspeakable act of violence,” expressing gratitude to law enforcement in a staff memo.
Goodell’s words ring hollow to many who see the league’s past denials as a betrayal of player safety. If Tamura’s claims of CTE are unverified—since diagnosis requires post-mortem brain examination—his grievances still highlight a festering distrust in how sports giants prioritize profits over health.
Among the fallen, Officer Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old NYPD officer and immigrant from Bangladesh, leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children. His flag-draped remains were brought to a Bronx mosque on Tuesday as the community prepares for his funeral.
Friends recalled Islam as a friendly, hardworking man, always greeting others warmly at Friday prayers. “Whenever I see him or he sees me, he says, ‘How are you, my brother?’” shared Tanjim Talukdar, a close acquaintance.
The other victims, including security guard Aland Etienne and the two office workers, have left families and colleagues grappling with loss. This tragedy, striking just blocks from iconic landmarks like Grand Central Terminal, has shaken a city all too familiar with senseless violence.
Police are now investigating Tamura’s background, noting a history of mental illness without disclosing specifics. Detectives plan to question a man who supplied parts for the rifle used in the attack, including its lower receiver, according to Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Tamura’s journey to this violent act remains murky, as does how he accessed such a weapon for this cross-country mission of rage. What’s clear is that his fixation on the NFL, whether grounded in personal experience or perceived injustice, turned a Manhattan skyscraper into a battlefield.
As the White House responds, with President Donald Trump expressing heartbreak for the families and honoring Officer Islam’s ultimate sacrifice, the nation watches a familiar cycle of grief and unanswered questions. This shooting isn’t just a personal tragedy; it’s a glaring reminder that mental health crises, mixed with unchecked access to deadly tools, can shatter lives in an instant.
