Chicago – July 29, 2025
A man who killed four people in a Midtown Manhattan office building left behind a note blaming the National Football League (NFL) for his brain disease, New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday.
The shooter was identified as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas. He had a history of mental health issues. Tamura killed two security officers and two office workers before ending the attack by shooting himself on the 33rd floor of a Park Avenue office tower. This tragedy is the deadliest mass shooting in New York City in 25 years.
The NFL’s headquarters is in the building, but Tamura accidentally entered the wrong elevator bank and ended up in the offices of Rudin Management, a real estate company. He killed one employee from Rudin. Mayor Adams shared that the note found with Tamura blamed the NFL for his brain condition, which he believed was caused by playing football.
Tamura had never played for the NFL but had played high school football in California. The note mentioned that his football career ended due to brain injuries, and he felt the NFL hadn’t done enough to protect players from this condition, called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE can lead to serious brain problems, including memory loss, aggression, and dementia. The NFL has paid over $1 billion in settlements related to concussion injuries.
One of Tamura’s former coaches described him as a quiet and hardworking player. Tamura had been a top offensive player at Granada Hills Charter School in Los Angeles.
The victims included an off-duty New York police officer, a Blackstone executive, a security guard, and a Cornell graduate. An NFL employee was also seriously hurt.
