The New York City Medical Examiner determined a cause and manner of death for the gunman who killed four people inside a midtown Manhattan office tower before turning the gun on himself.
Shane Tamura died by suicide, with the cause of death being a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the torso, according to the medical examiner. The victims killed — NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, Aland Etienne, Julia Hyman and Wesley Lepatner — each died as a result of gunshots wounds as well, the medical examiner’s office said Tuesday night.
The medical examiner did not yet make any determinations regarding a possible CTE diagnosis. The office only said the neuropathology expert will examine Tamura’s brain “as part of the additional studies for the complete autopsy record.”
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, can only be diagnosed through autopsy. It’s unclear whether Tamura showed symptoms of CTE.
Tamura had two mental health incidents, one in 2022 and one in 2024, according to law enforcement officials in Nevada briefed on the investigation. The specific nature of the incidents was not known nor was it known if it would have precluded Tamura from legally possessing a firearm.
The medical examiner’s ruling came hours after the NYPD released photos of the guns in Tamura’s possession at the time of the shooting, including the assault rifle he used and a revolver that was found in his car on Park Avenue.
Tamura, a 27-year-old casino worker, sprayed the skyscraper’s lobby with bullets then shot another person in a 33rd-floor office on Monday before he killed himself, authorities said. Among the dead were a police officer, a security guard and two people who worked at companies in the building. An NFL employee was badly wounded but survived.
The attacker’s grievances with the NFL emerged as police worked to piece together his background and motivations.
Tamura, who played high school football in California a decade ago but never played in the NFL, had a history of mental illness, police said without giving details. In the three-page note found on his body, he accused the NFL of concealing the dangers to players’ brains for profit. The degenerative brain disease has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports such as football.
Detectives planned to question a man who supplied gun parts for the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack, including the weapon’s lower receiver, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a video statement.
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam was given a dignified transfer to a Bronx mosque, with burial plans later in New Jersey. Officer Islam was among three others shot and killed at the Park Avenue office building, including a security guard, a Blackstone executive, and a Rudin Management employee. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst, Gus Rosendale, Lynda Baquero and Chris Glorioso have team coverage.
Jennifer Peltz, Cedar Attanasio, Dave Collins, and John Seewar of The Associated Press contributed to this report.
