The gunman that killed four people in midtown Manhattan on Monday intended to fire upon the NFL's headquarters, New York City mayor Eric Adams said.
Shane Tamura, 27, arrived at 345 Park Avenue with the intention of targeting the NFL offices, which occupy floors 5 through 8 of the 44-story office building, but took the wrong elevator. Still, Tamura managed to kill three people and himself while injuring several others.
"He seemed to have blamed the NFL," Adams said. "The NFL headquarters was located in the building, and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank."
Upon arriving at the building just after 6:30 p.m. local time while carrying an M4 rifle, Tamura opened fire and killed 36-year-old Didarul Islam, an off-duty New York police officer, while also hitting a woman ducking for cover, according to the Associated Press. Islam was a father of two with a third child on the way. "He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice," NYC police commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "He died as he lived: a hero." Tamura also killed Wesley LePatner, an executive at the investment firm Blackstone, and another unidentified person on the 33rd floor of the building before taking his own life.
One NFL employee was serious injured in the shooting but was in stable condition in the hospital as of Tuesday morning.
"One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL staff on Tuesday, in a memo obtained by ESPN. "NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared."
Tamura claimed to have CTE and requested his brain be donated to science, in a note found by police after the shooting. "Study my brain please. I’m sorry," the note read. Tamura played high school football in Los Angeles but had no connection to the NFL.
According to ABC News, Tamura had two mental health crisis holds in Nevada, one as recently as 2024, according to ABC News. A mental health crisis hold allows a person to be held for up to 72 hours if they are thought to be a danger to themselves or others. Tamura was also arrested for trespassing in Nevada in 2022, per ABC.
In his memo, Goodell said NFL HQ will employee additional security in the days and weeks to come. He told NFL HQ employees to work remotely or take the day off on Tuesday. "Every one of you is a valued member of the NFL family," Goodell wrote. "We will get through this together."
Update: In an email to NFL HQ staff, Goodell announced the NFL offices will be closed through the end of next week at the earliest.
@AdamSchefter