Midtown Manhattan, July 28, 2025 — A deadly shooting inside the skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue culminated in the deaths of four people, including an off‑duty NYPD officer, before the assailant—identified as 27‑year‑old Shane Devon Tamura—took his own life. The building houses major tenants such as the NFL headquarters, Blackstone, and other financial firms (Indiatimes, Al Jazeera, The Times of India).
🔫 The Incident: Sequence of Violence
Tamura, a recent resident of Las Vegas and former standout high‑school football player in California, arrived in Manhattan by car and entered the building at approximately 6:28 p.m., armed with an M4‑style rifle. Within under an hour, he had shot and killed four individuals in lobby and upper floors—including a security guard and two women presumed unrelated to his purported grievances—before committing suicide in a 33rd‑floor hallway (New York Post, The Sun, Al Jazeera).
🧠 Motive & Mental Health: CTE Allegations Surface
Authorities recovered a three‑page note from Tamura that expressed grievances tied to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and blamed the NFL for masking the dangers to players’ brains for profit, referencing the case of former player Terry Long, who died by suicide after posthumous CTE diagnosis. The suspects’s handwritten plea read: “Study my brain please. I’m sorry.” .
Despite his claims, medical experts caution that CTE cannot be definitively diagnosed in living individuals, and no direct proof ties Tamura to the condition. Tamura had documented mental health issues, including two prior mental health crisis holds in Nevada, but he had no criminal convictions beyond a trespassing charge and had held a concealed carry permit in Nevada and a private investigator license at one time (ABC News, ABC7 New York, ABC News, Indiatimes).
😱 Aftermath: Panic, Response & Ongoing Investigation
The shooting provoked scenes described by witnesses as akin to a war zone. Employees barricaded doors, hid under tables, and reported hearing nonstop gunfire. One witness recounted rushing into a conference room and sending a final “I love you” text to family before barricading the doors (New York Post, Al Jazeera, The Sun). Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirmed calls for stricter gun laws, particularly targeting assault-style weapons emboldened by access across state lines .
As investigations continue, law enforcement agencies are reviewing surveillance footage, Tamura’s digital devices, and his cross-country travel route before the attack. Officials are also scrutinizing whether a mistaken elevator bank may have veered him away from his intended target—possibly the NFL—leading to the deaths of unrelated office workers, including Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner (The Times of India, latimes.com, Al Jazeera).
📌 Summary
Shane Tamura’s targeted violence at a Midtown Manhattan high-rise left four victims dead and one injured before ending in his suicide. His note voiced allegations of CTE and personal distress tied to football culture and the NFL. As trauma reverberates among survivors and authorities push for gun reform, the tragedy underscores crucial questions on mental health, violence prevention, and the consequences of unchecked grievances.
