The NYC gunman who killed four people had a “documented mental health history” – and an active, concealed carry permit for firearms at the time of the mass shooting Monday.
Shane Tamura stormed the Midtown office building which houses the NFL, Blackstone and other businesses, and began “spraying” the lobby with bullets from an assault rifle. Four people – a security guard, an off-duty NYPD cop, and two female corporate executives – were killed before Tamura turned the gun on himself, authorities said.
Tamura, a former high school football player, claimed in a suicide note that he had CTE and blamed the NFL. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease caused by repeated head trauma and related to football, can only be discovered after death.
In the note, Tamura aired his grievances against the NFL, and blamed CTE for his mental health struggles, officials told NBC News. He had travelled to 345 Park Avenue to target the NFL, Mayor Eric Adams said in interviews Tuesday.
“According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday. “His motives are still under investigation and we are working to understand why he targeted this particular location.”
Acccording to Eyewitness News, Tamura had two “Mental Health Crisis” holds in Nevada in 2022 and 2024. During a hold, someone is detained for up to 72 hours in hospital if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others. It was unclear how long Tamura was held in both instances. Tamura has a previous arrest for trespassing in the state, though the Clark County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the case, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A Las Vegas police source told Eyewitness News that Tamura obtained his concealed carry permit in 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A photo obtained by The New York Post showed the permit, which has a 2027 expiration date.
When asked if Tamura’s history should have prevented him from obtaining the firearm, police in Las Vegas deferred to the NYPD. The NYPD did not respond to further questions on Tamura’s mental health history when contacted by The Independent.
To get a concealed carry permit in Las Vegas, applicants must be at least 21, unless an active-duty military member, provide fingerprints, have a valid state ID with current address, and complete a Nevada-certified firearm training course by a certified firearms instructor, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department states.
The application also involves an FBI background check, which may take several days, according to Las Vegas Defense Group.
Individuals who are“declared mentally incompetent” and are “admitted into a mental health facility within five years” are disqualified from holding concealed carry permits, the police department says. Other disqualifiers include being a fugitive, prior felony convictions, having a restraining order against you, and being on parole.
Nevada, where the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history took place in 2017, has worked to strengthen its gun laws in recent years, though handguns, rifles and shotguns can be purchased without a license or registration, according to the NRA-ILA.
Tamura used a Palmetto State Armory M4 assault rifle, according to The Post. The weapon was assembled using a lower receiver purchased by an associate of Tamura’s, Tisch said.
It was not immediately clear if Tamura had purchased the gun, and if he did, where it came from.
Tamura had been working in the surveillance department at Horseshoe Las Vegas, a hotel and casino on the strip, a hotel spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
He was also issued a work card by the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board in 2019, though it has since expired, CNN reported.
Tamura drove his black BMW cross-country to Manhattan late Monday afternoon and double-parked the car. He then entered 345 Park Avenue with the assault-style rifle in plain view just before 6:30 p.m. and opened fire.
NYPD officer Didarul Islam, security guard Aland Etienne, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, and Rudin Associate Julia Hyman have been named as the victims. The NFL said one of its employees was also seriously injured.
Authorities said Tamura’s car was found with a rifle case with rounds, ammunition magazines and a loaded rifle. Authorities also found two cell phones, the antidepressant Zoloft, and cannabis inside the car, sources told CNN.
In the suicide note found with his body, Tamura also reportedly requested that his brain be studied.
“Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” the note read, according to CNN. “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”
Long, a former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman, was diagnosed with CTE. He died by suicide after drinking antifreeze in 2005.
“Study my brain please I’m sorry Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything,” the note reportedly said.
Police said that Tamura acted alone and that there is no longer a threat to the public. The shooting remains under investigation.
