New York City Mass Shooting: Where are the Heroes?
Image: Kyle Mazza / NurPhoto via AFP
Following the tragic mass shooting in New York City that resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including an NYPD officer, we must confront a vital question: where were the heroes?
Reports indicate that the shooter walked from the curb to the entrance, a distance estimated to be between 50 and 100 feet (15-30m), with his M4 held out to his side. He approached the entrance during peak hours at 6.28pm, attracting the attention of numerous bystanders before entering the building and discharging his weapon. In the minute or so bystanders saw the man, no one made an effort to notify anyone about the man's potential danger, nor to contact the police, nor to subdue him personally.
In Nevada, approximately 50% of residents possess legal firearms. In New York, the figure is merely 20%, and although exact statistics for New York City are unavailable, given its stringent gun regulations, it is likely that this percentage is lower than 20%.
The shooter's motive seemingly centred on the NFL and the role of football in his development of CTE.
The immediate killing of the sole individual present who could thwart him, an armed NYPD officer, was clearly not coincidental. Officer Didarul Islam heroically confronted the gunman to protect others. Yet, the gunman was fully aware that in a practically gun-free city like New York City, once the officer was down, no individual could stop him. We cannot overlook, too, that a National Football League employee, Craig Clementi, courageously alerted NFL staff to the presence of a shooter, despite having been struck by a bullet in the back. He is currently hospitalised.
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At that point, it was merely a question of how many individuals he could kill before the police intervened. Fortunately, he did not escalate the situation to its full potential and, for reasons unknown, he subsequently ended his own life after claiming four innocent lives.
The frequently cited adage is "do not be a hero". But the Bible repeatedly calls individuals to courageous, self-sacrificial action for the good of others. Jesus says plainly: 'Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends' (John 15:13). The Apostle Paul urges believers: 'Do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others' (Philippians 2:4).
The existence of America today is attributable to the courageous men and women who have fought for our nation, sacrificing everything for the cause of liberty.
In other words, heroes are real. They may be equipped with a firearm, a telephone, or a fist. In 2009, UNC student Riley Howell made the ultimate sacrifice by courageously subduing a school shooter, restraining him until law enforcement apprehended the assailant. In 2018, a man commenced shooting in a Waffle House, resulting in four fatalities; as he reloaded, James Shaw Jr. tackled and subdued him. In 2022, army veteran Richard Fierro subdued the shooter at Q nightclub and incapacitated him with the assailant's own weapon. In 2013, Antoinette Tuff, the school bookkeeper, successfully intervened and dissuaded a heavily armed student from killing, averting a shooting. In 2007, Holocaust survivor and professor Liviu Librescu blocked the door to his classroom with his body to facilitate the escape of his students. He was murdered, and all except one of his students survived.
Heroes exist in our world. But they were not present on July 28, 2025, at 345 Park Avenue, New York City.
Following a tragic mass shooting in New York City that claimed four lives, including an NYPD officer, we must ask: where were the heroes when they were needed most?
Image: IOL
* Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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New York City Mass Shooting: Where are the Heroes?
The dignified transfer of the late NYPD Police Officer Didarul Islam takes place at New York Presbyterian Well Cornell Medical Center after midnight following the mass shooting attack that killed him and three others while wounding a fifth person in Manhattan, New York, United States, on July 29, 2025. Image: Kyle Mazza / NurPhoto via AFP Following the tragic mass shooting in New York City that resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including an NYPD officer, we must confront a vital question: where were the heroes? Reports indicate that the shooter walked from the curb to the entrance, a distance estimated to be between 50 and 100 feet (15-30m), with his M4 held out to his side. He approached the entrance during peak hours at 6.28pm, attracting the attention of numerous bystanders before entering the building and discharging his weapon. In the minute or so bystanders saw the man, no one made an effort to notify anyone about the man's potential danger, nor to contact the police, nor to subdue him personally. In Nevada, approximately 50% of residents possess legal firearms. In New York, the figure is merely 20%, and although exact statistics for New York City are unavailable, given its stringent gun regulations, it is likely that this percentage is lower than 20%. The shooter's motive seemingly centred on the NFL and the role of football in his development of CTE. The immediate killing of the sole individual present who could thwart him, an armed NYPD officer, was clearly not coincidental. Officer Didarul Islam heroically confronted the gunman to protect others. Yet, the gunman was fully aware that in a practically gun-free city like New York City, once the officer was down, no individual could stop him. We cannot overlook, too, that a National Football League employee, Craig Clementi, courageously alerted NFL staff to the presence of a shooter, despite having been struck by a bullet in the back. He is currently hospitalised. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ At that point, it was merely a question of how many individuals he could kill before the police intervened. Fortunately, he did not escalate the situation to its full potential and, for reasons unknown, he subsequently ended his own life after claiming four innocent lives. The frequently cited adage is "do not be a hero". But the Bible repeatedly calls individuals to courageous, self-sacrificial action for the good of others. Jesus says plainly: 'Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends' (John 15:13). The Apostle Paul urges believers: 'Do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others' (Philippians 2:4). The existence of America today is attributable to the courageous men and women who have fought for our nation, sacrificing everything for the cause of liberty. In other words, heroes are real. They may be equipped with a firearm, a telephone, or a fist. In 2009, UNC student Riley Howell made the ultimate sacrifice by courageously subduing a school shooter, restraining him until law enforcement apprehended the assailant. In 2018, a man commenced shooting in a Waffle House, resulting in four fatalities; as he reloaded, James Shaw Jr. tackled and subdued him. 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He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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New York City detectives investigating this week's mass shooting were interviewing the attacker's associates in his home state of Nevada on Wednesday, as gun safety advocates expressed dismay that he was able to buy a gun there legally last month despite two reported mental health hospitalizations. Authorities say Shane Tamura, 27, drove from his Las Vegas home to Manhattan, marched into an office skyscraper on Monday and fatally shot four people, including an off-duty police officer, with an assault-style rifle before taking his own life. Tamura legally purchased a revolver in Nevada in June at a gun store, New York police said, even though, according to multiple news reports, he was hospitalized under an emergency 'mental health crisis hold' in 2022 and again in 2024. The details of those episodes were not known. 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