The man who stalked through a New York City skyscraper firing a rifle tried to target the National Football League headquarters but took the wrong elevator, Mayor Eric Adams said. The gunman killed four people including a New York City police officer and wounded a fifth before taking his own life Monday evening, authorities said. A note found on his body suggested he had a grievance against the NFL over an unsubstantiated claim that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease linked to head trauma.
The shooting that’s home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment firms, among other tenants. Those killed include police officer Didarul Islam, who was working security, as well as Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and security officer Aland Etienne. An NFL employee was seriously injured and is hospitalized in stable condition, the league’s commissioner said.
Here’s the latest:
Family and friends mourn NYPD officer Didarul Islam at his home in the Bronx
Many well-wishers are bringing containers of food to nourish the large family gathering inside.
The police presence grew throughout the morning Tuesday, with officers stationed inside outside the two-story red-brick house. Across the street, a public school that one or more of Islam’s children attended put up a poster with a message praising him as a loving PS 47 parent and an NYPD hero.
Other acquaintances from his mosque stopped by to pay their respects.
“He was a very friendly guy and a hardworking guy,†said Tanjim Talukdar, who knew him best from Friday prayers, but would always get a greeting on the street. “Whenever I see him or he sees me he says, ’How are you, my brother?â€
“I was really shocked to see the news, you know, like that he died last night,†he said.
Shooter worked at a casino on the Las Vegas strip
Shane Devon Tamura worked in the surveillance department at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment confirmed on Tuesday.
The casino giant said in a statement it is cooperating with law enforcement and that its thoughts are with the victims and others affected by the shooting.
Scenes from outside 345 Park Avenue
Several people walking past the building where the shooting occurred have paused to reflect and say prayers for the victims.
Elaine Kaman, 62, a patent lawyer who used to work in the building, said she was “in shock†when she heard about the violence there because “this is one of the safest areas of this city. I was in this building until all hours of the morning, and I was never afraid to enter or exit the building at any time.â€
The building is still shut down, with NYPD crime scene investigators going in and out processing evidence. An exterior plate glass window that was struck by gunfire is still up.
NFL community begins reacting to shooting at the league’s office
A couple of NFL coaches opened their news conferences Tuesday by talking about the shooting at the league’s New York City office.
Brian Daboll of the New York Giants and Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons offered their thoughts and prayers to the victims of the shooting. When asked if he had talked to players or staff about the shooting or if they feared for their safety, Daboll said he had not yet had any conversations in that regard.
In a memo to staff, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised the swift law enforcement response and honored the off-duty police officer who was killed in the attack.
Shooter left a note saying he is sorry
A three-page note found in the shooter’s wallet repeatedly says he is sorry and asks that his brain be studied for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to the police department.
CTE is a degenerative brain disease that can only be diagnosed after someone has died.
The note references former NFL player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE, and the manner in which Long killed himself in 2005. The note accuses the NFL of concealing the dangers to players’ brains for profit.
Researchers have established a link between CTE and contact sports, military combat and other activities involving repetitive blows to the head.
The NFL long denied the link between football and CTE, but acknowledged the connection in 2016 testimony before Congress, and has so far paid more than $1.4 billion to retired players to settle concussion-related claims.
— By Jennifer Peltz in New York
New York governor urges Congress to ban assault weapons
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul called on lawmakers to restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic rifles commonly called assault weapons.
“We once had a national assault weapons ban. It worked,†Hochul said in a statement on social media Tuesday. “Republicans in Congress must find the courage to pass it again.“
In another post, the governor ordered all state flags be flown at half-staff to honor those killed in the shootings, which she called a “brutal, cowardly attack.â€
Flowers and a balloon placed outside the office building
Several bunches of flowers are now attached to the glass-and-metal railing of a ramp leading to the building’s front door, along with a yellow balloon with “LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!†written on it.
Who were the victims?
Didarul Islam, 36, had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years. He was an immigrant from Bangladesh.
Islam was married and had two young boys, Tisch said. His wife is pregnant with their third child.
Blackstone confirmed one of its employees, Wesley LePatner, was among those killed.
“Words cannot express the devastation we feel,†the firm said in a statement. “Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.â€
A Yale graduate, LePatner was a real estate executive at Blackstone, according to the firm’s website, and spent more than a decade at Goldman Sachs before joining the firm in 2014.
The names of the other victims, along with a man who was seriously wounded and remains in critical condition, have not yet been released.
Dignified transfer of officer’s body
Early Tuesday, Islam’s body was draped in the NYPD flag as it was moved from the hospital to an ambulance, with fellow officers standing at attention.
Flags lowered to half-staff in NYC to honor shooting victims, mayor says
In a post on social media, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he has ordered all flags on city buildings to be lowered to half-staff until further notice to honor the officer who was killed and the other shooting victims.
NFL commissioner says an employee remains hospitalized in stable condition
Roger Goodell said in a memo to staff Tuesday that “all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for,†following the shooting at the league’s headquarters in Manhattan.
Goodell praised the swift law enforcement response and honored the NYPD officer who was killed in the attack.
Employees in New York were instructed to work remotely Tuesday or take the day off, he said, and additional security will be in place.
“Every one of you is a valued member of the NFL family. We will get through this together,†Goodell said.
Adams says gunman left few clues
Adams said one challenge of the investigation has been that Tamura only arrived in New York shortly before the shooting, leaving few clues in the area.
“We are going to communicate with federal and state partners in Las Vegas to drill down on this as much as possible including looking at his social media pages, anything that he may have in his home, so that we can continue to piece this investigation together,†Adams said.
The mayor said it’s also a challenge for law enforcement, “dealing with those who come from areas with lax gun laws that allow individuals to have these high-powered weapons into cities like New York that have strong gun laws.â€
Statement from Blackstone on employee who was killed in the shooting
Blackstone on Tuesday said an employee, Wesley LePatner, a senior managing director, was among those killed in the shooting.
“Words cannot express the devastation we feel,†the firm said in a statement. “Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.â€
LePatner was Blackstone’s global head of core+ real estate and chief executive officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, according to the firm’s website. She spent more than a decade at Goldman Sachs before joining Blackstone in 2014.
A 2003 Yale graduate, LePatner served on the boards of several organizations, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Blackstone said.
Trump says he’s been briefed on deadly NYC shooting, says his heart is with the families of the four people killed
In a post on his social media site, Trump said he trusts that law enforcement will “get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence.â€
Trump, who is currently in Scotland, said “my heart†is with the families of those who were killed at a Manhattan office building, including a New York City police officer.
The gunman was targeting NFL headquarters, mayor says
Investigators believe Shane Tamura was trying to get to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the building’s lobby but accidentally entered the wrong set of elevator banks, Adams said in interviews on Tuesday.
Police said Tamura had a history of mental illness, and a rambling note found on his body suggested he had a grievance against the NFL over an unsubstantiated claim that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He had played football in high school in California nearly two decades ago.
The note claimed he had been suffering from CTE — the that has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports like football — and said his brain should be studied after he died, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
It also specifically referenced the National Football League, the person said.
A motive has not been determined but investigators were looking into, based on the note, whether he might’ve specifically targeted the building because it is home to the NFL’s headquarters.
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Witnesses said they heard ‘rapid fire’
Nekeisha Lewis was eating dinner with friends on the plaza when she heard gunfire.
“It felt like it was a quick two shots and then it was rapid fire,†she told The Associated Press.
Windows shattered and a man ran from the building saying, “Help, help. I’m shot.†Lewis said.
Jessica Chen told ABC News she was watching a presentation with dozens of other people on the second floor when she “heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor.â€
She and others ran into a conference room and barricaded tables against the door.
“We were honestly really, really scared,†she said, adding that she texted her parents to tell them that she loves them.
Some finance workers at an office building down the block were picking up dinner at a corner eatery when they heard a loud noise and saw people running.
“It was like a crowd panic,†said Anna Smith, who joined the workers pouring back into the finance office building. They remained there for about two hours before being told they could leave.
Adams said officials are still ‘unraveling’ what took place
Officers found a rifle case, a revolver, magazines and ammunition in Tamura’s car, Tisch said. They also found medication that belonged to Tamura, she said.
She said an initial investigation shows his vehicle traveled across the country, passing through Colorado on July 26, then Nebraska and Iowa on July 27. The car was in Columbia, New Jersey, as recently as 4:24 p.m. Monday. He drove into New York City shortly thereafter, she said.
Rudin is one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in New York City. The company dates back to 1925 and is still managed by members of the Rudin family.
Tisch said there were no indications so far that Tamura had prior connections to the real estate industry or to the city.
No one answered the door at the address listed for Tamura in Las Vegas.
What to know about the shooting
A man stalked through a Manhattan office tower firing a rifle Monday, , including a New York City police officer, and wounding a fifth before taking his own life, officials said.
The gunman, identified by authorities as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, had a ‘documented mental health history,’ according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, but his motive was still unknown.
“We are working to understand why he targeted this particular location,†Tisch said.
Surveillance video showed the man exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6:30 p.m. carrying an M4 rifle, then marching across a public plaza into the building. Then, he started firing, Tisch said, killing a police officer working a corporate security detail and then hitting a woman who tried to take cover as he sprayed the lobby with gunfire.
The man then made his way to the elevator bank and shot a guard at a security desk and shot another man in the lobby, the commissioner said.
The man took the elevator to the 33rd floor offices of the company that owned the building, Rudin Management, and shot and killed one person on that floor. The man then shot himself, the commissioner said. The building, 345 Park Avenue, also holds offices of the financial services firm KPMG.
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