NYC Shooter Leaves Suicide Note Blaming NFL and CTE
Authorities have identified Shane Devon Tamura as the gunman behind the Midtown Manhattan shooting that killed four, including an NYPD officer. A suicide note found on his body cited grievances against the NFL and mentioned possible CTE, prompting questions about head trauma and mental health links to the tragedy.
Authorities have identified the gunman behind Monday’s deadly shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan as 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura, a Las Vegas resident with no significant criminal history, according to law enforcement officials. The attack, which left four people dead, including NYPD officer Didarul Islam, and injured others, has raised questions about the shooter’s motives, with a chilling suicide note pointing to grievances against the NFL and a possible link to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Tamura, who was born in Hawaii before relocating to Las Vegas, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after opening fire in the building’s lobby and on the 33rd floor. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed he had a “documented mental health history,” though the full context remains under investigation. The FBI, conducting initial checks, has not uncovered additional information about Tamura, leaving his intentions unclear for now.
A suicide note found in Tamura’s pocket, as reported by a source to CNN, alleged he suffered from CTE—a degenerative brain disease tied to repeated head trauma, often seen in football players. The note requested his brain be studied and included the statement, “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” alongside a reference to former Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long, who died by suicide in 2005 after a CTE diagnosis. Multiple sources confirmed Tamura was a competitive football player in his youth, fueling speculation about a connection to the NFL, whose offices are located on the fifth floor of the targeted building. While CTE is associated with repetitive head impacts, a definitive diagnosis requires postmortem brain tissue analysis, which has not yet been conducted.
The investigation continues as authorities probe why Tamura, who drove across the country from Las Vegas, targeted this specific location.
According to NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Tamura aimed for NFL HQ but took the wrong elevator. His Motive is tied to a grievance against the NFL.