The world watched as 98 were killed in unimaginable horror. Now shock plans for the site have left families furious
Ninety-eight people were killed when Champlain Towers South crumbled on the night of June 24, 2021, in Miami, Florida, sending shockwaves across the world.
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
EXCLUSIVE: NYC shooter fixated on NFL with CTE claims took ‘big hits' in high school, former teammate says
The NYC mass shooter who blamed the NFL for his apparent CTE brain injury did regularly take 'some big hits' on the field that left him 'looking empty,' a former high school teammate told The Independent. Shane Devon Tamura, 27, sprayed bullets from a M4 assault weapon at a Park Avenue office building Monday evening, killing four people including a cop before turning the gun on himself. Police found Tamura's body with a suicide note in his pocket that claimed he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition that has been linked to the head trauma regularly endured by those who participate in contact sports, such as football players. Tobenna Okunna, 28, a onetime defensive end who played with Tamura in high school in Santa Clarita, California, told The Independent that he remembered the player, who was 5'7' and 140 lbs at the time, taking regular blows to the head. 'It's hard to convey, but Shane was really fast, and ran really hard, and he was really small. So, all that speed and energy running into these massive people… I do remember Shane taking some big hits,' Okunna said in a phone call from his home in North Carolina on Tuesday morning. Tamura 'had occasional moments of looking 'empty,' or spaced-out,' Okunna continued. 'We would commiserate about how high school is hard and stuff like that, [so] I just figured that whenever he had that look, he was just lost in thought… He did hit his head a lot, for sure.' Okunna – who went on to play Division 1-A college football at the University of San Diego and now works in the software industry – described the killer as someone who could sometimes appear distracted, almost dazed, but was, all in all, 'a very normal guy, very kind and well-liked by a lot of people.' Okunna said he remembered a period of time in high school during which Tamura's parents were having relationship issues, leading to 'some stress around that in his life.' About seven or eight years ago, another member of the Golden Valley football squad posted an appeal on social media, requesting information about Tamura's whereabouts. 'I do remember people were worried about him, because he did sort of fall off the face of the earth for a few years,' Okunna said. 'I followed Shane on Instagram, he would post sparingly, maybe once a year or so. I knew he was alive and I knew he was doing something, somewhere.' Tamura was a standout running back for the Golden Valley Grizzlies during the 2014-2015 academic year. In 2015, Tamura transferred to Granada Hills Charter School in Los Angeles, where he played his senior year. The gunman, who held a Nevada private investigator's license that expired last year and had lately been working in casino security, had 'a documented mental health history,' New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that Tamura 'appeared to have gone to the wrong floor,' and had in fact intended to attack the offices of the NFL located lower down in the 44-story high-rise. 'We're still going through the suicide note to zero on in the exact reason but at this time it appears as if it's something attached to his belief he experienced CTE from the NFL,' Adams said in an interview. Despite the lofty claim, Tamura never played beyond the high school level. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' the disjointed note found in Tamura's pocket reportedly read. 'Study my brain please I'm sorry Rick I'm sorry for everything... You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' In 2005, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Terry Long took his own life by drinking a gallon of antifreeze. It was later discovered that he had been suffering from CTE. In the period leading up to Monday's bloodshed, Tamura was living with his mother and father, Michelle and Terence, in Las Vegas. His older brother, Terence Jr., also played football at Golden Valley HS and is now a petty officer in the U.S. Navy. Cops said Tamura drove his black BMW cross-country to Manhattan, arriving late Monday afternoon, then double-parked and strode into 345 Park Avenue, carrying an assault-style rifle in plain view, shortly before 6:30 p.m. In addition to the NFL offices, the office tower counts investment giant Blackstone, consulting powerhouse KPMG, and Rudin Management, a venerable local real estate firm which also owns the building, among its tenants. Tamura opened fire immediately upon entering the lobby, killing 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was working off-duty, but in his police uniform, as a security guard. Blackstone identified one of its senior executives, Wesley LePatner, as among the dead. The other victims were identified as Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman, a 2020 Cornell University graduate, and Aland Etienne, a 'beloved' 46-year-old security guard. A fifth person – reportedly an NFL executive – was shot and injured, but survived. Tamura shot himself in the chest with the M4 rifle, authorities said. Investigators searched Tamura's car following the attack, and discovered two cellphones, medication, a loaded Colt Python .357 caliber revolver, and ammunition. Although Tamura had documented psychological issues, he was able to obtain a concealed carry permit in 2022 from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. That same year, he was taken into custody on a mental health crisis hold; another would occur in 2024, law enforcement sources told ABC News. In June, a tipster at a gun show in Las Vegas notified law enforcement that Tamura had bought a suspiciously large amount of ammunition, along with an aftermarket trigger, the outlet reported. The Las Vegas Metro PD said Tuesday it was assisting the NYPD with its investigation. Tamura, who was arrested in Nevada in 2022 for trespassing, does not have a significant criminal record, authorities said. Public records show his father was a member of the LAPD, which was confirmed later on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times. According to a department roster reviewed by the outlet, Terence Sr. became an officer in 1967 and worked primarily in the San Fernando Valley, with later stints in the Foothill and Devonshire patrol divisions. Tamura's mom is a licensed vocational nurse, according to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, which lists her residence as being in Las Vegas. 'It's very sad, really tragic, and I'm also just sad for the victims and Shane's family also,' Okunna told The Independent. '... It was a real surprise, it's very odd. I don't know what would compel a person to do that.' The NYPD is leading the ongoing investigation, with assistance also coming from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
DoJ pushes for release of Epstein and Maxwell grand jury transcripts
Transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that led to the sex trafficking indictments of the sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, British socialiate Ghislaine Maxwell, include the testimony of just two law enforcement witnesses, the Department of Justice has said, as it argues for the documents' release. Top justice department officials disclosed in a filing late on Tuesday in New York City federal court that separate grand juries convened to consider the criminal investigations of Epstein and Maxwell, and had heard from only two witnesses. The revelation was made in the course of court wrangling over whether the transcripts of the proceedings should be unsealed, amid the continuing furor over the Epstein scandal which has roiled Donald Trump's second term. The Trump administration is urging the two federal judges who presided over the Epstein and Maxwell grand juries, Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer, to release the testimony, in an attempt to calm the uproar. The Trump administration has come under intense pressure from the president's own base of supporters who were infuriated by the justice department's decision not to release any additional Epstein files about the late, disgraced financier's crimes involving the sex trafficking of girls. The decision jarred with the previous stance of senior administration figures, including Trump himself and the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, who had hyped the expected release of more details of the New York financier's businesses, travels and associations, including a possible list of his financial clients, which all further stoked conspiracies around the well-connected Epstein. Tuesday's submission states that the grand jury tasked with considering the criminal case against Epstein heard only from an FBI agent when it met in June and July 2019. A similar grand jury for Maxwell heard from the same FBI agent and a New York police department detective when it met in June and July 2020 and in March 2021. The memorandum was signed by Jay Clayton, US attorney for the southern district of New York, and included the names of Bondi and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. Epstein took his own life in a federal jail in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, officials say, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell's links to famous people, such as royals, presidents and billionaires, including Trump. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein in the sexual trafficking of minors. She was convicted in December 2021 on charges that she lured teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Last week, she sat for two sets of interviews with justice department officials, including Blanche, in Florida, where she is serving her time in a federal prison, and answered questions 'about 100 different people', her attorney said. Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he had cut off their relationship long ago. But he faces ongoing questions about the Epstein case.. On Tuesday, Trump spoke about connections between Epstein and the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. He claimed he evicted the financier from the resort because Epstein 'stole' young female staffers from him, including Virginia Giuffre who went on to be a key witness against Epstein and Maxwell. Giuffre died in April. Maxwell has offered to testify before Congress but with conditions, including being granted immunity. Her lawyer has written to the House committee which has subpoenaed her saying that a deposition without immunity would be a 'non-starter'. The justice department memorandum says unsealing the transcripts is 'consistent with increasing calls for additional disclosures in this matter'. The Associated Press contributed reporting
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
TV star charged with multiple rapes sports ghastly prison appearance during accuser's terrifying testimony
Former NCIS actor Gabriel Olds appeared in court shackled and with unkempt shoulder-length hair as he listened to harrowing testimony from an actress accusing him of rape. The 53-year-old, who once cut a dashing figure on the red carpet, was unshaven, pale and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit during the three-hour hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
