A Security video shows Shane Tamura, 27, exiting a BMW and carrying a rifle as he enters the Park Avenue skyscraper that is home to Blackstone and the NFL headquarters.
The gunman entered the lobby of the office building in midtown Manhattan with an M4 assault rifle, and immediately opened fire, striking several people, including a police officer who was taking cover behind a desk, New York Police department(NYPD) said Monday.
The gunman, then waited for an elevator and allowed a woman to exit unharmed before going to the 33rd floor, where he then shot and killed another person before shooting himself, police said. Tamura, who was licensed to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Nevada, killed four people and wounded another.
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed in a press conference late Monday that there is no longer an active threat to the public. NYPD believe that the now deceased gunman acted alone.
Speaking to Fox 5 New York, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed Tuesday that gunman Tamura appeared to take the wrong elevator bank inside 345 Park Avenue Monday when he carried out his attack. "It appears as though he was going after the employees at the NFL."
The mayor said there were two elevator banks inside the building and Tamura “appeared to have gone to the wrong bank and he ended up on the floor of Rudin Management.
“And you see on the video that he discharged the weapon several times and we must commend Rudin Management for the safety precautions that they have put in place, even a safe bathroom where you can lock it down with a bulletproof door. Some of the staffers used that,” Adams continued.
“It’s unfortunate that during these days and times, active shooter drills are taking place all across the country and Rudin Management did their job of clearly having those active shooter drills and the staffers who were in the building were able to utilize some of the safe rooms and I believe it played a great role in saving lives of some of the staffers,” the mayor added.
“It was after 6 p.m. and so many people were no longer in the office, but he appeared to have gone to the wrong floor and due to the wrong elevator bank where you can see on the front desk, which elevator bank was the NFL. But he did not go to that bank,” Adams also said.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Tamura reportedly had a grievance with the NFL, blaming the sport of football for apparent issues with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a side effect from repeated hits to the head.
Tamura apparently cited the NFL in a suicide note left near his body on 33rd floor of the building after he died.
Tamura was high school football player at Granada Hills Charter in Granada Hills, California, which is about 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The NFL’s headquarters were located in the same building where Tamura had killed five people and left several others injured. The league’s officers are on the fifth floor.
The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office told Fox News that it’s investigating the death of gunman Shane Tamura and will study his brain as part of the standard autopsy procedure.
The people killed in the shooting include NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, security guard Aland Etienne and Julia Hyman, an associate at Rudin Management.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised NYPD Officer Didarul Islam in a memo to employees who were at the building where a crazed gunman killed four and injured others in a shooting.
Goodell said in the memo that one NFL employee was "seriously injured" but in stable condition. He mentioned Islam and thanked him for sacrificing his life to save others.
"We are deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this threat quickly and decisively and to Officer Islam, who gave his life to protect others," the memo read.
Financial firm Blackstone identified LePatner as the executive who was killed in the Monday night’s shooting.
LePatner, a senior managing director, was Blackstone’s Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and the Chief Executive Officer of the Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust.
“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue. Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” the company said in part in a statement.
Aland Etienne was identified as one of the four victims.
The Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ, described Etienne as “a dedicated security officer who took his job duties extremely seriously.”
“We are devastated to hear the reports of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue. We extend our deep condolences to the families and friends who lost loved ones tonight, including that of our own 32BJ SEIU security member Aland Etienne," the union’s president Manny Pastreich said in part in a statement.
Julia Hyman, a 2020 Cornell University graduate who worked for Rudin Management, was identified as another one of the victims of the New York City shooting. She was an associate with the real estate company, according to a LinkedIn profile purportedly belonging to her.
“The Rudin family and everyone at our company are devastated by yesterday's senseless tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and lost last night, including our cherished Rudin colleague, a brave New York City police officer, a beloved lobby security guard and an employee at a tenant firm," the Rudin family said in a statement.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has been “briefed on the tragic shooting that took place in Manhattan, a place that I know and love."
“I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless the New York Police Department, and God Bless New York!”
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Six people are dead, including a police officer, when a gunman unleashed a barrage of gunfire carrying an M4 rifle, at a midtown Manhattan office building that is home to the Blackstone investment firm and the headquarters for the NFL, according to New York Police Department(NYPD).
The shooter Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, was neutralized as more information is being learned about him.
Tamura reportedly drove across the country to New York City from Las Vegas, authorities said Monday. He traveled through Colorado on July 26, and through Nebraska and Iowa the next day, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a Monday night news conference.
Tamura's vehicle was then seen in Columbia, New Jersey as recently as 4:24 p.m. Monday, not long before he would unleash a barrage of gunfire in New York, police said.
Employees working on the 33rd floor of the Blackstone building barricaded themselves inside their office as the gunman opened fire inside.
Pictures from inside the office show couches stacked up at the entryway in an effort to prevent anyone from entering. In another picture, employees were seen adding even more pieces of furniture to the stack.
The NYPD Officer killed has been identified as Didarul Islam, 36, a Bangladeshi immigrant. His wife is eight-months pregnant, and the couple has two sons.
