Shane Tamura Motive: Gunman Who Shot and Killed Four in Midtown NYC May Have Been Seeking Revenge Against the NFL

The Nevada man who stormed a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper armed with an M4 assault rifle, killing four people before taking his own life, may have been seeking revenge against the National Football League.

Shane Tamura, 27, was found with a letter on his body expressing anger toward the NFL and its response to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), after the deadly attack at 345 Park Avenue. In the note, he railed against the league and requested that his brain be examined. “Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” Tamura wrote, according to CNN. “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”

Strange Motive Behind Rampage

The gunman was referring to former Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long, who died by suicide by drinking antifreeze in 2006 after battling CTE. “Study my brain please I’m sorry Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything,” the note read.

Tamura shot and killed three people in the lobby of the skyscraper: NYPD officer Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old father of two; a second security guard who tried to shield himself behind the security desk; and an unidentified woman who tried to take cover behind a pillar.

Another man in the lobby was critically injured by gunfire. Tamura then called an elevator and took it to the 33rd floor, where the offices of building management firm Rudin are located. There, he shot a fourth victim, whose identity has not yet been revealed.

He ended the violent rampage by taking his own life.

Authorities said that Tamura drove from his home in Las Vegas in a black BMW, passing through Colorado on July 26 and continuing through New Jersey before reaching Manhattan.

Chilling surveillance footage later showed him entering the building—home to the NFL’s headquarters—wearing a sport coat and a button-down shirt, while carrying a large assault rifle.

He began shooting inside the lobby shortly before 6:30 p.m.

Tamura was once a star high school football player, deeply passionate about the sport and seemingly headed for a future shaped by structure and teamwork.

During his senior season, he earned six Player of the Game honors, racked up 126 carries for 616 rushing yards, and scored five touchdowns over nine games.

End of a Promising Career

In recent years, Tamura had a “documented history of mental health issues,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated during a press briefing. Yet, he earned a private investigator’s license and was legally granted a concealed carry permit through the Las Vegas Sheriff’s Department.

The NFL’s headquarters are located on the fifth floor of the building, but according to law enforcement, Tamura never went up to that level.

However, an NFL employee was “seriously injured,” as mentioned in an internal staff memo from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, obtained by CNN.

Goodell said that the injured employee was rushed to the hospital, where fellow NFL staff members are currently supporting the employee’s family.

Meanwhile, police in both New York City and Nevada are investigating Tamura’s background, digging through his social media activity and searching his Las Vegas residence for clues that might reveal his motive.

Authorities have already recovered a rifle case containing ammunition, a loaded revolver, extra magazines, a backpack, and prescription medication from his vehicle.

Police believe Tamura acted alone in the broad daylight shooting.

However, investigators are still working to determine whether anyone helped him in planning the attack or helped facilitate his travel across state lines and entry into the highly secured office tower, which was locked down while armed officers swept the building.