NYC shooting gunman left behind note appearing to blame NFL for brain injury
The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, opened fire in a Manhattan building where the NFL has its headquarters, but wound up in a different part of the building after getting on the wrong elevator.
'He seemed to have blamed the NFL,' the mayor told WPIX-TV. 'The NFL headquarters was located in the building, and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank.'
Tamura, who investigators believe drove from his home in Las Vegas to New York City over three days, was carrying a note that said he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease brought on by head trauma, and blamed the condition for his mental illness, Adams said.
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The note was found in his pocket after he shot himself dead.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that the note was written over three pages and called the letter a 'suicide note.'
'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' the shooter wrote, according to the source. 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.'
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This undated image provided by Las Vegas Dept. of Motor Vehicle shows Shane Tamura. Las Vegas Dept. of Motor Vehicle via AP
Tamura played high school football in California nearly a decade ago, but he never played in the NFL.
The late Terry Long was a former American football player who starred as an offensive lineman for eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL.
Long ended his life in June 2005, at the age of 45, by drinking a large amount of antifreeze. An autopsy later revealed that Long was suffering from CTE.
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Two people familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that Tamura apologized in his note and said his brain should be studied after he died.
Tamura had mental health crisis holds in Nevada in 2022 and 2024, ABC in New York reported.
The shooting happened along Park Avenue, one the nation's most recognized streets, and just blocks from Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center. It's also less than a 15-minute walk from where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed last December by a man who prosecutors say was angry over corporate greed, and Monday's attack could bring further attention to security in the business world.
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In addition to housing the NFL's headquarters, the skyscraper is home to the investment firm Blackstone, real estate company Rudin Management and other companies.
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Officers line up during the dignified transfer of Didarul Islam, who was shot and killed by a gunman. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
What is CTE?
A degenerative brain disease, CTE has been identified in athletes and military combat veterans who sustained concussions or repeated blows to the head. It can be diagnosed only posthumously through an examination of the brain.
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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.
Who were the victims?
Didarul Islam, 36, had served as a police officer in New York City for three-and-a-half years. He was an immigrant from Bangladesh.
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This undated image provided by the New York Police Department shows Officer Didarul Islam, who was shot and killed at a Manhattan office building on Monday, July 28, 2025, in New York. New York Police Department via AP
Islam was married and had two young boys, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tuesday. His wife is pregnant with their third child.
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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.
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Officers stand at attention during the dignified transfer of Didarul Islam, who was shot and killed by Shane Tamura. Angelina Katsanis / The Associated Press
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.'
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This photo shows Wesley LePatner, an executive at Blackstone Inc., who was shot and killed by a gunman on Monday, July 28, 2025, at the company's headquarters in New York. Courtesy of Blackstone Inc. via AP
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.
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The names of the other victims, along with a man who was seriously wounded and remains in critical condition, have not yet been released.
NFL Commissioner 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 honoured 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.
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A person leaves flowers at a makeshift memorial outside scene of Monday's deadly shooting, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in New York. Yuki Iwamura / The Associated Press
How the shooting unfolded
Surveillance video showed Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6:30 p.m. carrying an M4 rifle, then marching across a public plaza into the building. He then started firing, Tisch said, killing Islam and then hitting a woman who tried to take cover as he sprayed the lobby with gunfire.
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Tamura 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.
Tamura 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. He then shot himself, Tisch said.
After the shooting, 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.
1:35
At least 3 shot, including NYC police officer at Manhattan office building
— with files from Global News and The Associated Press
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