- Tamura left a suicide note blaming CTE and asking for his brain to be studied
- He was armed with a rifle, wore a bulletproof vest, and had a Nevada carry licence
- The shooting was the 254th mass shooting in the US in 2024, per Gun Violence Archive
Shane Devon Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, who had been identified as the gunman behind the shooting inside the NFL's headquarters building in New York City on Monday, reportedly left a suicide note claiming that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and pleaded for his brain to be examined.
According to CNN, the note stated: "Terry Long football gave me CTE, and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze. You can't go against the NFL; they'll squash you. Study my brain, please. I'm sorry. Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything."
The short note had been written over three pages and was later found by the investigators. Terry Long was a footballer who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was diagnosed with CTE and died by suicide after drinking antifreeze in 2005.
CTE is a progressive condition that has commonly been associated with football players as it can develop from recurrent concussions and other forms of head injury. Tamura had been a competitive football player in his youth.
The NFL offices were located on the fifth floor of the office tower. The building houses some of the country's top financial firms, including private equity giant Blackstone, and KPMG.
He was armed with a long rifle, wore a bullet-resistant vest, and was seen walking into the 44-story Manhattan office building. He was licensed to carry the weapon in Nevada.
He reportedly opened fire inside the Park Avenue skyscraper, which is just blocks away from Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Centre, and the Museum of Modern Art.
The suspected shooter first exchanged fire with an NYPD officer in the lobby of 345 Park Avenue at around 6:40 pm. He then went up to the 33rd floor, before barricading himself inside the office tower, possibly on the 32nd floor of the building, provoking a lockdown in the area.
While on the 33rd floor, Tamura killed himself by shooting himself in the chest.
The deadly shooting in New York today was the 254th mass shooting in the US this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks gun-related violence.
The frontrunner in the race for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, wrote on X that he was "heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer... in my thoughts."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she has been briefed on the shooting.
