Shooter Cites CTE in Deadly NYC Office Attack

On July 28, Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old former high school football player with a documented history of mental illness, killed four people—including NYPD officer Didarul Islam, Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman, and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner—at a Midtown Manhattan office tower before dying by suicide. Tamura, who intended to target the NFL's headquarters in the building, mistakenly took the wrong elevator to the 33rd floor, where the shooting occurred. A three-page suicide note found on Tamura claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from football, accused the NFL of concealing brain injury risks, and requested his brain be studied. The NFL confirmed one employee was critically injured and Commissioner Roger Goodell condemned the attack, thanking law enforcement. The incident is the deadliest mass shooting in New York City in over two decades. The tragedy has reignited debate about the NFL's responsibility regarding CTE and left the city and affected organizations mourning.