The gunman who killed four people during a mass shooting at a Midtown office building in July suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the city’s medical examiner said Friday.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner said it found “unambiguous diagnostic evidence” of the trauma-induced neurodegenerative disease in the brain tissue of Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas. Tamura died by suicide after opening fire inside 345 Park Ave., which houses the NFL’s headquarters, on July 28.
“The findings correspond with the classification of low-stage CTE, according to current consensus criteria,” the office said in a statement.
The conclusion supports claims Tamura made in a suicide note, where he wrote that he believed he suffered from the brain injury often linked to contact sports.
Police said they recovered three handwritten pages from Tamura’s wallet, which investigators are treating as a suicide note. One page, marked “My Daily Affirmations,” read in part: “CTE, study my brain, please. I’m sorry. Tell Rick, I’m sorry.” The identity of “Rick” remains unclear, according to police.
Another page referred to former NFL player Terry Long, who died by suicide in 2005. Tamura wrote that “Terry Long football gave me CTE, and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze. You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you. Please study the brain for CTE. I’m sorry the league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us.”
Long’s death was one of several cases that brought national attention to head injuries in football. The NFL has faced years of criticism over its handling of concussions and player safety.
A 2023 Boston University study found that more than 90% of deceased former NFL players whose brains were studied had CTE. Diagnoses of CTE can only be determined after a patient’s death through examination of the brain.
During the July 28 rampage, Tamura opened fire in the building’s lobby and on the 33rd floor, killing four people before shooting himself in the chest.
The victims included 32BJ SEIU security officer Aland Etienne, 36-year-old off-duty NYPD officer Didarul Islam, Blackstone senior managing director Wesley LePatner, 43, and Julia Hyman, 27, an associate at Rudin Management, which owns the building.
On Friday, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and more than 25 co-sponsors introduced the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, which would require the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to set and enforce minimum wage standards, paid leave, benefits, and expanded training requirements for security guards.
