Gunman who killed four at NYC building was targeting NFL offices, mayor says
Investigators believe Shane Tamura, of Las Vegas, was trying to get to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the building's lobby but accidentally entered the wrong set of elevator banks, Adams said in interviews.
Four people, including off-duty New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam, were killed. Police said Tamura had a history of mental illness, and a rambling note found on his body suggested that he had a grievance against the NFL over a claim that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can only be diagnosed after someone has died. He played high school football in California nearly two decades ago, but he never played in the NFL.
'He seemed to have blamed the NFL,' the mayor told WPIX-TV. 'The NFL headquarters was located in the building, and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank.'
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to staff that a league employee was seriously injured in the attack and was hospitalised in stable condition.
'We are deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this threat quickly and decisively and to Officer Islam, who gave his life to protect others,' Goodell said.
The note found on Tamura claimed he had been suffering from CTE – the degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports like football – and said his brain should be studied after he died, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
It also specifically referenced the NFL, one of the people familiar with the matter said.
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