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CNN
10 hours ago
- Sport
- CNN
NY gunman Shane Tamura who cited CTE was once a standout high school football player
A decade before police say he gunned down four people at a Manhattan tower that is home to the National Football League, Shane Tamura was a celebrated high school football star whose coach once described him as 'lightning in a bottle' and among the most talented athletes he'd ever seen. Now, investigators are looking into claims in Tamura's suicide note that link the deadly attack to his years playing football. It's unclear whether Tamura was ever tested for brain injuries related to his football career, and one former coach said he didn't recall him having any concussions. But a former teammate at a different high school told CNN he knew 'for a fact' that Tamura did sustain concussions, and remembered him missing games or practices as a result. 'He was an undersized guy, he's playing running back, but you know, he had that dog in him,' said Dalone Neal, the former teammate. 'He wasn't afraid of contact whatsoever.' The 27-year-old Tamura walked into the office building Monday evening carrying an assault rifle — and a suicide note in his back pocket alleging that he suffered from CTE, a brain disease linked to head trauma, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. After killing four others, including an off-duty New York police officer, Tamura fatally shot himself in the chest, police said. In the note, according to the source, Tamura expressed grievances with the NFL and asked for his brain to be studied. Police said Tamura's motives are still under investigation, and he had 'a documented mental health history.' The short note was scribbled over three pages and found by investigators after the shooting, the source said. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' the shooter wrote, according to the source, referring to Terry Long, a former NFL player who was diagnosed with CTE and died by suicide after drinking antifreeze in 2005. The note continued, 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' Tamura, who most recently lived in Las Vegas, spent his high school years in the Los Angeles area, where he played several seasons as a running back for Golden Valley High School in the suburb of Santa Clarita. His athletic accomplishments were chronicled in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal newspaper. A 2013 article described Tamura as the Golden Valley Grizzlies junior varsity team's 'biggest weapon' on offense and noted his coach believed he was the most athletically gifted player. The Golden Valley head coach, Dan Kelley, referred to him as 'lightning in a bottle' in an interview for a 2014 article. Tamura accounted for more than half of the team's touchdowns over roughly the first month of the 2014 season, and was a big reason for their overall success, the newspaper reported. 'He's a game-breaker. You definitely want the ball in his hands,' Kelley said. 'He's even harder on himself when he doesn't take it all the way. I always have to remind him that not every play is going to go for a touchdown.' Coach Kelley did not hold back in his praise of the younger Tamura. 'This is my 20th year coaching high school football and he's one of the most talented kids I've seen,' he said. 'The sky is the limit with Shane, if he dedicates himself to the weight room and becoming the best football player in this valley, I think he has the capability.' Neal, the former teammate, told CNN Tamura had sustained 'a few concussions' playing football at Golden Valley. He remembered Tamura's absences due to concussions being announced at team meetings, although he said he never talked about the injuries directly with Tamura. Neal said he remembered Tamura as 'magnificent on the field' and an 'outstanding guy,' but hadn't spoken to him in about a decade. 'He was definitely dedicated to football,' Neal said. 'Everybody thought he was going to have a bright future in football.' Another former teammate, who asked not to be named, told CNN that it wasn't uncommon at the time for football players to suffer concussions, and said he was 'sure' Tamura 'missed a game or two because of a concussion.' 'Shane was like a big ball of energy,' said the teammate, who was friends with Tamura since kindergarten. 'Always had something funny to say, would say exactly what's on his mind.' Tamura once doubted he would make the starting lineup, he told the Signal newspaper. 'Going from JV to varsity is a huge difference and it's surreal to be seeing the ball this much and having the team doing so well,' he said. 'It's great being a big part of everything and scoring a lot of touchdowns, but I have to keep getting better… I need to keep pushing myself.' His older brother Terry also played football, according to friends and local coverage. When asked about his brother's skills in 2014, Terry said, 'We're similar… He's a little quicker though and probably more elusive, too.' Tamura transferred to Granada Hills Charter School in nearby San Fernando Valley in 2015 for his senior year of high school, where he played for the Highlanders football team. He attended Granada Hills during the fall 2015 semester, but later withdrew from the school, a school spokesperson said Tuesday. Walter Roby, who coached the Granada Hills team, told CNN that Tamura was 'by far my best running back at the time.' 'He was warm, soft-spoken, hard-working,' Roby said. 'He did what you asked him to do and he led by his example… He would come up, smile, hug, warm embrace.' Roby said he never saw any signs of violence or other trouble from Tamura and had no memory of him suffering a head injury during his time at Granada Hills. In a video posted to YouTube in 2015 by Los Angeles Daily News Prep Sports after his team won a game, Tamura answered questions from an interviewer who called him a 'standout running back.' 'We just had to stay disciplined and come together as a team,' Tamura said. 'Keep playing, keep fighting through it, and just hold our heads up high, and a good result's going to come.' Another friend and former teammate also told CNN that Tamura never mentioned a head injury or any kind of mental illness. 'We were kids back then, so mental illness — we don't really pay much (attention) to that topic,' the teammate said. He said Tamura was one of his closest friends, but they lost touch after high school. Tamura reached out to him a few months ago on Instagram just to say hello, but before that, they hadn't spoken in more than 10 years. It's not clear whether Tamura played football after his high school years or if he was ever diagnosed with any brain injuries connected to his athletic career. CTE, which has been associated with head impacts suffered by some football players, is generally only confirmed after death. Tamura's death echoes at least one previous high-profile CTE case: Former NFL player Dave Duerson also shot himself in the chest and left a note asking for his brain to be studied. The NFL has acknowledged a link between football and brain disorders like CTE, and has said in recent years that it has made changes to eliminate some unnecessary contact to the head and neck areas during practice and games. Tamura was put on a psychiatric hold in 2022 and 2024, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the situation. In 2022, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer encountered Tamura on the street and observed behavior that made them believe Tamura might be a threat to himself, the official said. Police took him to a hospital where he was put on a psychiatric hold for an unknown period of time, the official said. Tamura worked as a 'surveillance department employee' at Horseshoe Las Vegas, a hotel and casino, a spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. He received private investigator licenses in California and Nevada in 2019, both of which later expired, according to public records. Court records show that Tamura was charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2023 in Clark County, Nevada. According to a police incident report, Tamura refused to leave a Las Vegas casino after attempting to cash out about $5,000, and security called police, who handcuffed and arrested him. A court database suggests a district attorney declined to pursue the case. Police said Tamura drove his BMW across the country from Las Vegas over the last few days, and that he double parked it in front of the Park Avenue office building before walking in with a rifle. He opened fire in the lobby, killing off-duty NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was working as a security guard, and then took an elevator to the 33rd floor. Tamura gunned down several other people at a real estate office before fatally shooting himself in the chest. The NFL's headquarters are on the building's fifth floor, but Tamura 'mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank,' Mayor Eric Adams told a local news station. CNN's John Miller contributed reporting.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Eerie note NYC shooter Shane Tamura left for his parents before driving to Big Apple to murder four
New York City shooter Shane Tamura left his parents an eerie note before he drove from his Las Vegas apartment to the Big Apple in a rampage against the National Football League. Tamura, a 27-year-old former high school football star, told his parents he felt like a 'disappointment' to them in the letter, according to the New York Post. 'When I look into you and dad's eyes, I see complete disappointment,' it read. Tamura had grown up in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, the son of an 18-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department. Records show he had obtained a security guard license from the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services on March 7, 2019, which expired on March 31, 2021. He also had a private investigator license in Nevada, which listed his parents' house as his residence, issued in December 2019. It expired on December 28. It said he had a 'no' firearm status, meaning he wasn't legally allowed to carry while on the job, as New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch explained that he had a 'documented mental health history.' Yet Tamura was somehow able to obtain a concealed firearms permit from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department - which he had on him when he strolled into the skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and killed four people. He had traveled across the country to conduct the broad daylight attack before he took his own life. It now appears that Tamura, who most recently worked as a surveillance department employee at the Horseshoe Las Vegas hotel and casino, blamed the NFL for his mental health issues. In a three-page note found on Tamura's body he railed against the league for its handling of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is strongly linked to sports in which players experience repeated head impacts. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' Tamura wrote, according to CNN. 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' The shooter was referring to former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Long, who committed suicide by drinking antifreeze in 2006 after suffering from CTE. 'Study my brain please I'm sorry Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything,' the note read. Police also found medication inside his BMW, which he drove cross-country. When he finally reached the lobby of the high-rise office building, where the NFL is headquartered, at around 6.30pm on Monday, Tamura opened fire - shooting NYPD Officer Didarul Islam in the back and a security guard who took cover behind a desk. He then proceeded up to the 33rd floor, the offices of Rudin Management - which runs the building and other offices across the Big Apple - where he shot and killed Rudin employee Julia Hyman. Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and security guard Aland Etienne were also killed in the attack. Police now believe was the shooting was premeditated and likely suicidal. 'It appears that he knew it would be his last stand,' said CNN chief law enforcement analyst John Miller, a former NYPD deputy commissioner. 'He fully intended to shoot his way through the lobby and make his way to that target – whatever that might have been.' It has since been revealed that an associate also sold him gun parts for the M4 assault rifle he used in the attack. In a video update on Tuesday, Tisch said investigators were heading to Tamura's Las Vegas home to conduct interviews and execute a search warrant. 'The weapon used, an AR-15-style assault rifle, was assembled by Mr. Tamura using a lower receiver purchased by an associate. We have located that associate and others. And will be questioning him about that purchase,' she said. Meanwhile, Tamura's old high school friends said they were stunned to learn the former running back was the mass shooter. 'You never would have thought violence was something you'd associate with him,' classmate Caleb Clarke told NBC. 'Everything he said was a joke.' His former coach Walter Roby also said Tamura was a talented football player and a 'quiet kid'. 'I'm just blown away right now,' he said.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Terry Long's devastated family tell how Manhattan shooter's suicide note reopened wounds over how football killed him and his nephew, 15
The sister of the ex-NFL player named in New York City shooter Shane Tamura's suicide note shared her heartbreak over football being tied to yet another family tragedy. Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail, Robin Ellison, 65, said it was 'emotional' and 'disheartening' hearing Tamura had mentioned her brother, Terry Long, the former Pittsburgh Steelers player who tragically took his own life in 2005. And she revealed that her own son died of heatstroke aged just 15 following a football workout in high school. Long was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by head injuries which is rife among some retired football players. In his garbled suicide note, Tamura, a star football player in high school, vented his perceived grievances with the NFL and its handling of CTE. In his chilling missive, Tamura – who was a promising high school player in California – appeared to claim to have the disease and wrote: '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.' Tamura, 27, was caught on chilling surveillance footage wielding an M4 assault rifle as he entered the Midtown building that houses the NFL headquarters, where he gunned down four people Monday New York Mayor Eric Adams said the city's medical examiner will decide whether to test Tamura for CTE. Ellison, who lives in Smyrna, Georgia, tearfully told Daily Mail her brother's name returning to the national news served as a painful reminder of her family's 'bad experience' with football. She said: 'It makes me very emotional, because I had a son Marcus who died of heat stroke the first day of practice and my brother died, something to do with football. 'I get teared up because I really miss my little brother. 'He was a big teddy bear. He loved his mother. It makes me sad.' Tragically, she told how her son Marcus died in August 1999, aged just 15, after collapsing during a pre-season workout for his high school football team in Atlanta. Officials classified his death as a 'heat-related injury'. Long died in June 2005, aged 45, after taking his own life by drinking antifreeze, according to a revised 2006 death certificate. A coroner initially ruled that he died of meningitis after he was found unresponsive at his home. He died in the hospital and was later diagnosed with CTE. Ellison, who is one of seven siblings, said her family shielded her from much of the trauma around her brother's death after the loss of her son. She added: 'I couldn't, I didn't want to relate to it at the time [of Terry's death], because it brought back too many memories of the incident with my son. I won't even attend games right now. 'My family have not had a good experience with football. With the death of a child and the death of a sibling, it is overwhelming. Two of Tamura's four victims have since been identified as Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner (left) and Cornell graduate Julia Hyman 'It makes me sad to know that he [Tamura] used my brother's name, and it brings tears in my heart, because football has been a tragic thing for me…and my family because we lost two family members due to football-related incidents.' Long's brother, Reginald Long, said he was 'surprised' by the news his brother had been mentioned by Tamura, but added: 'The guy [Tamura] sounded like he had some illness, so the only thing I can do is pray for him and everybody who is involved. 'They say he had some illness, so hopefully we just need to do a better job of working on the mentally ill. 'People have some serious issues out here and we don't address them as a country, as a community, so things like this happen.' He suggested he and Long had been close growing up, but he didn't know anything about his brother's later struggles in life. Long's widow Lynne declined to comment on the mention of her husband in the shooter's note when contacted at her home in New Kent, Virginia. 'This is just a horrible, horrible, horrible situation,' she said. Tamura had obtained a firearm permit from the Las Vegas Police Department. Long's brother, Reginald, said the shooter sounded mentally ill and stressed that the country needs to address the mental health crisis to prevent tragedies like Monday night's shooting Tamura, from Las Vegas, shot dead four people, including an off-duty cop, after storming 345 Park Avenue, in Midtown, Manhattan, on Monday evening, before turning the gun on himself. Officials believe Tamura – who had a 'documented mental health history' - intended to target the NFL's HQ on the fifth floor of the building but mistakenly took the wrong elevator up to the 33rd floor offices of building management firm, Rudin. However, an employee of the NFL was 'seriously injured' after he was shot in the back - but still managed to alert his colleagues to allow them to escape. Craig Clementi was on the phone with other league staff when he was struck in the back with a bullet allegedly shot by Tamura. Clementi, who just recently welcomed a new baby, was able to tell his colleagues to evacuate the building and to stay safe. Tamura played football at his high school in California as a running back, with his former coach Walter Roby telling NBC: 'He came in, worked hard, kept his nose down. The Las Vegas home where Tamura lived with his parents 'He was a quiet kid, well-mannered, very coachable. Whatever needed to be done, he would do. I'm just blown away right now.' Long was born in South Carolina and played at college level for the East Carolina Pirates from 1980 until 1983. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a guard throughout his seven-year career, which ended in 1991. He was reportedly suspended for violating the NFL's steroid policy and attempted suicide, before later being admitted to a psychiatric ward for a mental health evaluation. In the months before his suicide, Long reportedly faced legal issues including federal charges he fraudulently obtained loans for a chicken-processing plant which prosecutors allege he burned to the ground in September 2003 for the insurance money. He was arrested in late March that year and released on $10,000 bond. After his death, Long was diagnosed with CTE, joining the ranks of hundreds of ex-NFL players who were found to have the disease after their deaths.
News18
a day ago
- News18
"They Failed Us" Manhattan Shooter Shane Tamura Referred To Terry Long, Blamed NFL For CTE
The police said that a three-page note was found in the wallet of the gunman Shane Tamura, who opened fire in a Midtown Manhattan office tower, killing four people. The note referred to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a brain disease that has afflicted people who play contact sports. The disease can only be definitively diagnosed after death. The note also referred to Terry Long, the former Pittsburgh Steelers player who was diagnosed with CTE after downing antifreeze to kill himself 20 years ago. According to New York City mayor Eric Adams, the gunman wanted to shoot in NFL's headquarters on levels 5 through 8 of 345 Park Avenue, but 'mistakenly went up the wrong elevator banks' and ended up on the 33rd floor. n18oc_world n18oc_crux
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
What is CTE? Condition claimed by Manhattan NFL skyscraper shooter that 1/3 of former players fear they have
Shane Tamura, the 27-year-old gunman who fatally shot 36-year-old New York City police officer Didarul Islam and several others in a New York City skyscraper on Monday, was reportedly found dead with a note claiming that football had given him chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. In it, he addressed former Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease. Long drank a bottle of antifreeze to commit suicide in 2005, with doctors at the time attributing depression associated with the condition as a factor in his death. 'Terry Long, football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' the note said, according to reports from The New York Post. 'Please study brain for CTE. I'm sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits,' he wrote. 'They failed us.' On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told CNN that the city's medical examiner would determine the next steps for Tamura's body, including whether his brain would be tested for CTE. The mayor said earlier in the day that the attack was ' focused on the NFL, ' with the league confirming that one staffer had been hospitalized in the attack. But, what is CTE and how many people are affected? Here's what to know. What is CTE? CTE is a brain disorder that's been linked to repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Symptoms include memory loss, problems with attention, mood disturbances, impaired judgment, poor muscle coordination, and suicidal thoughts, according to Harvard Medical School. While physical and speech therapy can be used to help, there is no way to reverse the symptons, which gets worse over time, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, the disease can only be diagnosed after death, using an autopsy. The exact number of Americans who have had CTE remains unknown. The connection to professional sports Heightened awareness about CTE has likely led athletes in high contact sports to retire sooner than they had planned. A study of nearly 2,000 former NFL players released last year found that one in three of those surveyed believe they have the degenerative brain disease CTE. Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez, who died by suicide in a Massachusetts prison in 2017, was diagnosed with CTE after his death. Brett Favre, of the Green Bay Packers, has said he believes he may have CTE, as well. Boston University announced last year that 345 former NFL players, out of 376 who were studied, had been diagnosed with CTE. Tamura never featured in the NFL, but was a standout high school player, according to The LA Times. 'We know from conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, these neurodegenerative conditions that don't really have treatments or cures at the moment [and] that are really hard to diagnose, a lot of those conditions are associated with some suicidality and thoughts of self-harm,' Dr. Rachel Grashow, of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, previously told The Independent. 'So, the final question we asked was, 'Do we see similar associations with our former players?' Similar research in former hockey players found that the odds of developing CTE increased by 34 percent with each year they played the sport. 'Ice hockey players with longer careers not only were more likely to have CTE, but they also had more severe disease,' Dr. Jesse Mez, the co-director of clinical research at Massachusetts' Boston University CTE Center, said in a statement. CTE has also been found in the brains of people who box, according to the Mayo Clinic, in rugby players, and military veterans. How do we prevent CTE? Increased research in this area aims to address the condition. Hundreds of brain donations from athletes have helped. Better-performing helmets have helped contribute to a 25 percent reduction in concussions across the last five NFL season, according to Harvard. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you.
