Four people were killed in New York City on Monday evening in an apparent attack on NFL headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The gunman, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, entered the building with a rifle, killing four people before taking the elevator to the NFL’s offices and continuing fire, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
One NFL employee was reportedly injured in the shooting, and is said to be hospitalized in stable condition after sustaining a gunshot wound to the back. Meanwhile police and looking for answers as the investigation into Tamura’s attack is ongoing. This is still a developing story and more information is expected to be released Tuesday, but here’s what we know so far.
Warning: The following contains information about the shooting which could be disturbing for some readers.
What do we know about the shooting?
Shortly before 6:30 p.m. local time, Tamura walked into the lobby of 345 Park Ave, a 44-floor skyscraper in Midtown that houses numerous businesses, including the NFL league offices. Security camera footage shows the man carrying an AR-15 rifle, which he was licensed for in the state of Nevada.
Upon entering the building Tamura shot and killed 36-year-old Didarul Islam, an off-duty NYPD officer who was working as security at the building, as many police officers do. Islam had been on the force for 3.5 years after emigrating from Bangladesh. Three other people were also shot and killed in the lobby. Their identities have not yet been released by police.
Tamura then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, where NFL league offices are located. He reportedly opened fire before taking his own life. It was confirmed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell than an NFL employee was wounded in the shooting, but is in a “stable condition” at area hospital.
Who is Shane Tamura?
Little is known about the gunman outside of information that has been pieced together by amateurs. It’s widely believed Tamura was a former high school football player in Granada Hills, California who last played in 2016.
A page on Max Preps with the same name shows Tamura as a running back and defensive back for Granada Hills Charter. He did not receive any college offers, and though there are some reports that Tamara went on to play in the CFL, there’s no evidence this was the case. Neither CFL team rosters from the past eight years, nor any statistics websites show that he played professional football in Canada.
Law enforcement in Las Vegas confirmed that Tamura had a history of mental health issues. In both 2022 and 2024 he was placed on 72-hour involuntary mental health holds, which can legally be enforced by law enforcement and/or medical professionals when there is concern an individual could harm themselves or others.
What was Tamura’s motive for the shooting?
Police investigation is still ongoing, though it’s being widely reported that a note was found on the man’s body claiming he was suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This is a brain disease widely linked to repeated concussions.
Tamura’s note allegedly blames the NFL for his purported illness, though there’s no confirmation he was suffering from CTE. Diagnosis can only be made post-mortem, and it’s too early to know whether or not the man’s brain will be studied to determine whether or not he actually suffered from the disease.
What are officials saying?
Details about the shooting have ranged, and largely falls within the realm of bad or incongruous information. New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed Tamura was a high school football player “almost two decades ago,” though this does not match any timeline of when Tamura was playing. In addition Adams said that the shooter “took the wrong elevator,” though this doesn’t match up with information about an NFL employee being injured in the shooting.
The consistent belief from the NYPD, the mayor’s office, and city officials is that NFL headquarters was indeed the target of the attack. Reportedly the note in Tamura’s possession asked that his brain be studied following his death, which would be possible considering he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
What remains unclear are the details that led Tamura to travel cross-county to New York City. More specifically, how a man with two mental health holds in the last three years, and who was deemed as a threat to himself or others, still managed to have a legal firearms permit in Nevada. It’s also unclear the nature of these past mental health episodes, which encompasses the nature of his holds, and whether or not there was a breakdown in the system which allowed him to fall through the cracks, rather than getting much-needed help. Finally, and perhaps of most interest, is whether or not he was indeed suffering from CTE.
This is an ongoing investigation with more details to emerge. We will update this story as information is made available.
