NEW YORK CITY, NY - Authorities have identified the gunman who drove across the country from Las Vegas to a building in Midtown and opened fire, killing four innocent victims including an off-duty police officer.
Shane Tamura, 27, has been named as the shooter who stormed 345 Park Avenue, a 44-floor building, and killed four people before turning the gun on himself, New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference, the New York Post reported.
She also noted that Tamura had a "documented mental health history."
One person was shot and wounded, and four more sustained minor injuries while fleeing the hectic scene, Tisch said.
Tamura, who worked as a security guard at a Vegas casino, reportedly double parked a vehicle with Nevada plates outside the officer's building before storming it with a rifle in plain view, according to police and photos taken from the scene.
He walked right into the building and opened fire through the lobby, shooting the majority of the victims before heading to the 33rd floor, where he shot his final victim before killing himself, Tisch stated.
Police searched his vehicle and found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, extra ammunition, magazines, a backpack, and medication prescribed to him.
A photo obtained by The Post showed he had a concealed firearms permit in Las Vegas with a 2027 expiration date.
He was previously issued a work card by the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board, which has since expired, according to ABC7.
Tamura reportedly did not show up for work on Sunday, July 27th, and instead drove across the country to New York City.
His car was spotted passing through Colorado on July 26th, Nebraska and Iowa on July 27th and Columbia, New Jersey, at 4:24 p.m. Monday.
He drove into Manhattan "shortly thereafter," Tisch confirmed.
Tamura was captured on surveillance footage walking into the skyscraper with an assault rifle in his hand around 6:30 p.m., just around evening rush hour.
The building he targeted houses NFL headquarters, Blackstone, Rudin Management, and other Big Apple companies.
Photos obtained by The Post show smears of blood on the assault rifle that Tamura used, which was a Palmetto State Armory AR-15 assault rifle.
That type of rifle is a .223 caliber and is equipped with a black scope, a handguard, and a shoulder sling.
Tamura acted alone and his motive is not yet known, police said. "His motives are still under investigation. We are working to understand why he targeted this particular location," Tisch said. Investigations are analyzing a note found in Tamura's pocket claiming he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and asking that his brain be studied, according to ABC News.
"We have reason to believe he was focused on the NFL agency that was located in the building," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
"He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury," Adams said.
The preliminary investigation by police has found no evidence that Tamura suffered from CTE, which cannot be diagnosed in a living person with certainty, but doctors may suspect it based on symptoms and history of head trauma.
Tamura had been a standout running back at Granada Hills Charter High School in California.
During a post-game interview, he appeared soft-spoken while discussing the touchdowns he had scored that evening.
