The 27-year-old gunman who killed four people — including an NYPD officer — during a deadly rampage in a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday evening left behind a chilling suicide note blaming the NFL for his deteriorating mental health and alleged brain trauma, law enforcement sources confirmed Tuesday.
Shane Tamura, who fatally shot himself on the 33rd floor of 345 Park Avenue — home to the NFL’s corporate offices — claimed he suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma.
NFL Was Alleged Target, Note Demanded Brain Be Studied
Tamura’s three-page note expressed rage at the NFL and demanded that his brain be examined for CTE. He accused the league of concealing the risks of brain damage to maximize profits and singled out former Steelers player Terry Long, who killed himself in 2005 and was later diagnosed with CTE.
“Terry Long, football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” Tamura wrote.
“Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us.”
He ominously warned, “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”
Shooter Went to Wrong Floor, Missed NFL Offices
Tamura intended to attack the NFL offices on floors 5–8 of the skyscraper but took the wrong elevator bank, winding up on the 33rd floor instead, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
“It appears as though he was going after the employees of the NFL,” Adams said Tuesday.
“We’re still going through the suicide note to zero in on the exact reason, but… he believed he experienced CTE from the NFL.”
Despite his claims, Tamura never played in the NFL, though he was a standout high school football player in California. He later worked as a casino security guard in Las Vegas and had a known history of mental illness.
NFL Employee Among the Injured
One of Tamura’s victims — who survived the shooting — is an NFL employee, according to a letter sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell to staff. Goodell confirmed the employee was “seriously injured” in the attack.
Tamura opened fire in the building lobby, killing NYPD Officer Didarul Islam and wounding another victim, before heading upstairs and killing three more people. He later turned the gun on himself.
NYPD: Blackstone Was Not a Target
Shortly after the attack, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch reportedly contacted executives at Blackstone, another major tenant of the skyscraper, to inform them they were not targeted.
The attack sent shockwaves through Midtown Manhattan as civilians fled in terror, and has raised renewed concerns about security, mental illness, and workplace violence.
Background: From Promising Athlete to Tragedy
Tamura graduated from Golden Valley High School in 2016, where he was a star running back with promising athletic prospects. But his life took a dark turn in adulthood.
“It looked like the sky was the limit, and then it wasn’t anymore,” a former classmate told NBC News.
While investigators continue reviewing the full contents of the note, the tragedy highlights the growing national concern over CTE, the NFL’s legacy of concussions, and the mental health crisis affecting young men across the country.
