President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a statement on the Monday evening shooting at a New York City skyscraper that left a police officer and three others dead before the gunman turned his weapon on himself and took his own life.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he’d been briefed on the shooting and expressed trust in law enforcement’s ability to “get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence.”
“My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless the New York Police Department, and God Bless New York,” he said.
Trump’s statement on the attack in his longtime hometown came more than 12 hours after the attack by 27-year-old Shane Tamura, who according to police began shooting inside the lobby of the 345 Park Avenue office tower shortly after 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Tamura “immediately” opened fire with his AR-15 style rifle and began “spraying” the lobby with gunshots and killing NYPD Officer Didarul Islam before boarding an elevator which took him to the 33rd floor of the building. There, Tisch said he continued shooting before eventually turning his weapon on himself and firing one final fatal shot.
The New York high rise is home to multiple entities, including the investment firm Blackstone and the National Football League.
It was the latter entity which Tamura is alleged to have been targeting, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The league later said in a statement that an employee had been injured in the attack and was hospitalized in stable condition.
The president’s social media post came during the final day of a five-day golf holiday at his two resorts on Scotland. Earlier on Tuesday he participated in a brief ceremony to open a new 18-hole course at his Aberdeen property.
He is expected to play a full 18-hole round on his new course before returning to Washington later in the day on Tuesday.
