"Reminded Me Of 9/11": Witness On New York Office Building Shooting

A witness living near the corporate office building in New York, where a gunman killed four people, recounted the scenes outside the crime scene, saying it reminded her of 9/11. Kathleen Benanti told NBC News that she experienced PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the sight and sounds, as she had lived through the 2001 attack in which nearly 3,000 people had died.

"Some people came running back inside saying people were shouting on the street that there was an active shooter. I had a bit of a ptsd response that came out of the blue. I lived through 9/11, and all the sights/sounds reminded me of that day. I'm ok now," she said.

Benanti also posted a video from her home in which scores of New York Police Department (NYPD) cars and ambulances can be seen on the road, with officials ordering people to stay indoors and away from their windows until further notice.

In another post on Facebook, Benanti said she is "safe but shaken".

"There is an active shooter outside or near my building (park ave between 53rd & 54th). Park Avenue is a sea of cop cars, fire engines, and ambulances. We're being told to shelter in place and stay away from the windows. I am safe but shaken," the post read.

Another witness told AFP that she was in the building when the incident took place.

"He went floor by floor," she said.

Four people, including an NYPD officer, were killed after a gunman opened fire inside a midtown Manhattan office building on Monday evening (local time). The building houses some of the country's top financial firms, including private equity giant Blackstone, and the National Football League.

Visuals showed chaotic scenes outside the office building. A video showed the shooter, armed with a long rifle and wearing a bullet-resistant vest, walking into the 44-story Manhattan office building.

The shooter, identified as Shane Tamura (27) from Las Vegas, also died from what police said was a self-inflicted injury, according to a report by CNN.

According to a viral identity card featuring Tamura's mugshot, he held a concealed firearms permit which was issued to him on June 14, 2022, and was valid for five years. He also had an expired private investigator license. He reportedly played football for Granada Hills and recently worked as a security guard at a Las Vegas casino.

Manhattan shooter identified as Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas — multiple reports https://t.co/mrq0b93iFb pic.twitter.com/5BHrP7FgG9

— RT (@RT_com) July 29, 2025

Officials informed that the NYPD officer who was killed was identified as Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh. He was a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department and had a wife and two sons, reported CNN, citing the New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.