The tragic mass shooting that shook Manhattan on July 28, 2025, continues to reveal chilling details. The shooter, identified as Shane Devon Tamura, not only killed four people before taking his own life, but he also left behind a suicide note pointing to a deeply personal and disturbing motive: an alleged struggle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and resentment against the NFL.

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Who was Shane Devon Tamura, the shooter in the Park Avenue attack?

Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old former high school football player from Las Vegas, had no criminal record but had a documented history of mental illness. Once praised as a competitive athlete in California’s Granada Hills Charter High School, Tamura’s life took a drastic turn. Though he never played college or professional football, he reportedly believed his time on the field caused irreversible brain damage.

On July 28, he drove over 4,000 kilometers from Nevada to New York City. His destination: the NFL headquarters located at 345 Park Avenue. However, due to a misstep, Tamura took the wrong elevator and ended up on the 33rd floor — the offices of Rudin Management — where he carried out one of the deadliest shootings in Manhattan since the early 2000s.

What did Shane Tamura’s suicide note say?

According to CNN and confirmed by NYPD investigators, a three-page suicide note was found in Tamura’s back pocket. In the handwritten message, Tamura claimed he suffered from CTE and mentioned Terry Long — a former Pittsburgh Steelers player who also suffered from the disease and died in 2005 by ingesting antifreeze.

Tamura wrote: “The football of Terry Long gave me CTE and made me drink a gallon of antifreeze… You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll crush you… Study my brain, please. I’m sorry. Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything.”

Authorities described the note as “incoherent in parts but clearly filled with resentment toward the NFL.”

What is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and how does it relate to the NFL?

CTE is a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated blows to the head, most commonly found in athletes involved in contact sports like football. Symptoms include aggression, memory loss, depression, impaired judgment, and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts.

Over the past decade, CTE has been at the center of numerous lawsuits against the NFL. The league has paid over \$1 billion in settlements to former players who suffered neurological damage. Tamura, though never affiliated with the league, claimed in his note that the trauma he endured during his high school football career was enough to ruin his mind and life.

What happened during the shooting at 345 Park Avenue in NYC?

Around 6:20 p.m., Shane Tamura parked his black BMW outside 345 Park Avenue, armed with an M4-style assault rifle. Surveillance footage captured him entering the building’s lobby, where he immediately opened fire.

The victims included:

• Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old off-duty NYPD officer from Bangladesh, working as a private security guard.
• Aland Etienne, a 46-year-old security guard stationed in the lobby.
• Wesley LePatner, a senior executive at Blackstone and mother of two.
• Julia Hyman, a recent Cornell graduate working at Rudin Management, shot on the 33rd floor.

Another NFL employee was gravely injured but remains in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.

Why did Shane Tamura target the NFL headquarters?

While Tamura never reached the NFL offices — located on the fifth floor of the building — investigators believe that was his intended target. His suicide note and the timing of his arrival at Park Avenue just as office workers were finishing their day suggest a premeditated attack.

Although he didn’t make it to the NFL field, all indications are he was headed there, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He apparently took the wrong elevator and ended up on the 33rd floor, where he continued the attack.

What is the latest on the investigation of the NYC shooting?

Both the NYPD and the FBI are combing through Tamura’s digital footprint, travel history, and medical records. His journey from Las Vegas was tracked through multiple states: Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and finally New Jersey — where his car was seen at 4:24 p.m., just two hours before the attack.

The shooter acted alone. No affiliations with extremist groups have been found, and no prior violent behavior had been reported.

How is the NFL responding to the shooting and the allegations?

Following the tragedy, the NFL temporarily closed its Park Avenue offices and has made counseling and support services available to all employees.

Though the league has not commented directly on the contents of Tamura’s note, sources within the organization confirm that security has been significantly heightened.

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