Midtown shooter left suicide note: 'Study my brain' | Timeline, victims, latest

NEW YORK - The man behind Monday’s deadly shooting at a Midtown Manhattan office building, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, may have tried to target the NFL.

Authorities say he drove cross-country from Las Vegas before opening fire inside 345 Park Avenue and leaving behind a suicide note. FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt obtained photos of the note through law enforcement sources.

FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt obtained the note through a law enforcement source. "Study my brain for CTE," it reads, referring to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain disease often suffered by football players from repeated concussions.

"The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us," the note read.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Good Day New York that the gunman was apparently trying to target the headquarters of the National Football League but took the wrong elevator.

"He came from Las Vegas to New York City to do harm," Adams said.

Four people were killed, including three civilians and an NYPD officer, while a fifth victim, believed to be an NFL employee, remains in critical condition.

SKIP TO: Timeline | Victims | Who is Shane Tamura? | Official reactions

What happened at 345 Park on Monday?

What we know:

The gunman, Shane Tamura of Nevada, died by suicide after opening fire on multiple floors of the building. 

Surveillance footage shows Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW around 6:28 p.m. with an M4-style rifle. NYPD officials said he entered the lobby and immediately shot Officer Islam, then shot a woman nearby, before heading into the elevator.

Tamura continued to the upper floors, where he shot a security guard and another man. He then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, where he shot and killed one more person before fatally shooting himself in the chest, police said.

Authorities say Tamura drove cross-country and arrived in New York the same day of the shooting. He had a history of mental health issues, and investigators are still working to determine why he targeted this location.

SKIP TO: Timeline | Victims | Who is Shane Tamura?

Gunman traveled from Vegas to NYC: Timeline

Timeline:

According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Tamura’s black BMW was tracked over a three-day journey from Nevada to Midtown. Tisch confirmed that Tamura was scheduled to appear at his job at Horseshoe Las Vegas on Sunday night, but never showed.

Officials say he began his journey in Nevada, driving east from Las Vegas on Friday, July 25, when his vehicle was tracked traveling through Colorado. 

The following day, Saturday, July 26, he continued his trip across the Midwest, passing through Nebraska and Iowa. 

On Monday, July 28, at approximately 4:24 p.m., Tamura’s car was spotted in Columbia, New Jersey, not far from the New York state line. 

Shortly after that, he crossed into New York City, made his way to Midtown Manhattan, and double-parked his black BMW along Park Avenue before entering the office building with an M4 rifle.

Two groups of detectives are currently en route to Las Vegas to conduct interviews and execute a search warrant at Tamura's home. The detectives will also visit the gun store where Tamura legally purchased a revolver on June 12, using a Nevada concealed carry permit, according to Tisch.

The NYPD is also executing search warrants on Tamura's car and the two phones he left at the scene.

NYPD officer among the dead: What we know about the victims

The first person killed in the shooting was 36-year-old NYPD Officer Didarul Islam. 

A three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department, Islam was working a paid security detail for Rudin Management Company when he was shot in the building’s lobby. 

He was an immigrant from Bangladesh, a married father of two with a third child on the way, and lived in the Bronx. Mayor Eric Adams called him a "true blue New Yorker" who gave his life protecting others.

Shortly after Officer Islam was shot, a female civilian taking cover behind a pillar in the lobby was fatally struck. The gunman then moved toward the front desk near the elevators and killed a security guard who was hiding behind it. 

Once on the 33rd floor, Tamura fatally shot a male office worker before turning the gun on himself.

A fifth victim, a male employee of the NFL, whose offices are headquartered in the building, was also shot and is now in critical condition at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed league employees in a message obtained by Fox News Digital following Monday’s shooting at the NFL’s Midtown headquarters.

"As has been widely reported, a gunman committed an unspeakable act of violence in our building at 345 Park Avenue. One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack," the message read. "We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared."

Goodell urged staff to remain alert and pay close attention to emergency notifications, noting that "the situation remained fluid."

Who is Shane Tamura?

What we know:

Shane Tamura, the suspected gunman who killed five people, including an NYPD officer, inside a midtown Manhattan office building, was found dead on the 33rd floor from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

A multi-page handwritten note was discovered on his body in which he blamed football-related head trauma for his declining mental health. 

He asked that his brain be studied for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated concussions. 

Tamura had played football at Granada Hills Charter High School in California and had most recently worked in the surveillance department at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press.

He legally held a concealed carry permit issued by Las Vegas Metro Police in 2022, valid through 2027. His only known criminal offense was a misdemeanor trespassing charge in 2023.

What we don't know:

While investigators continue to search for a clear motive, officials believe the attack was premeditated. 

Government officials react

What they're saying:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted on X about the death of NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, saying he ordered all flags on city buildings to be flown at half-mast "until further notice."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted a similar message, saying all state flags would also be flown at half-mast in honor of Officer Islam.

Hochul said that she is planning to speak to the families of the victims, and that the White House contacted her yesterday, July 28, regarding the incident – she specified that she has not spoken with President Trump directly yet.

The governor also mentioned the gun used in the shooting, and called for a national assault weapons ban in her following post on X.

Assemblymember and Democratic nominee for the New York City mayoral race Zohran Mamdani said he is "grateful for all of our first responders on the ground" in his own post.

Former New York Governor and fellow mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo said in a post that he was "horrified" by the office shooting.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries also provided his statement on the shooting via X:

He also said that he was "deeply disturbed" by the shooting in a separate post, adding: "May God watch over our city during this challenging moment."