Law enforcement officials outlined new details Tuesday in the ongoing investigation into Monday’s Midtown mass shooting, tracing the killer’s travels in the days leading up to the massacre and unveiling details about the suicide note he left behind.
According to police sources, the initial investigation shows that Shane Tamura’s vehicle traveled cross-country through Colorado on July 26, Nebraska, before going through Iowa on July 27. Tamura worked an overnight security job at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. He was scheduled to show up for work there on Sunday, but never arrived.
Several NYPD detectives have headed to Sin City to further investigate Tamura’s tracks as part of the ongoing probe, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a recorded video addressing NYPD officers. They will conduct interviews, execute a search warrant at the shooter’s home, and visit a gun store where he had bought a revolver last month.
“The weapon used, an AR-15 style assault rifle, was assembled by Mr. Tamura using a lower receiver purchased by an associate. We have located the associate and others and will be questioning him about that purchase. This is part of a larger effort to trace Mr. Tamura’s steps from Las Vegas to New York City,” Tisch added.
Mass shooting suspect’s suicide note
On July 28, Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas entered 345 Park Ave., which houses the NFL headquarters, and began to open fire in the lobby and on the 33rd floor of the building, killing four people before ultimately fatally shooting himself in the chest.
An NYPD official told amNewYork that three pieces of paper were found by police in Tamura’s wallet, which is being classified as a suicide note. Each page appears to be from a different notebook. One of the pages was marked with “My Daily Affirmations.”
“CTE, study my brain, please. I’m sorry. Tell Rick, I’m sorry,” part of the first page read. Police sources were unable to confirm the identity of the Rick named in the note.
CTE refers to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disorder likely caused by repeated brain injuries, according to the Mayo Clinic. Diagnoses of CTE can only be determined after a patient’s death through examination of the brain.
Police also detailed part of the second note, which read: “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.”
Terry Long was a professional football player who ultimately took his own life in 2005 by drinking antifreeze. The NFL has come under heavy criticism over the years for its handling of players with head injuries. A 2023 Boston University study found that 345 of 376 deceased former NFL players (more than 90%) whose brains were examined post-mortem were ultimately diagnosed with CTE.
Preliminary information suggests that Tamura, who police noted has a documented mental health history, drove from Las Vegas to New York in a black BMW registered to him over a period of days before the attack.
Inside the car, police found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammo and magazines, a backpack and medication prescribed to Tamura.
Among his victims was 36-year-old Didarul Islam, a police officer for the 47th Precinct. Islam, who was married with two kids and one on the way, was given an NYPD salute send-off during a dignified transfer ceremony from the hospital late last night.
An NFL employee, Craig Clementi, was injured as a result of the shooting and was treated at a nearby hospital. He is expected to survive.
Updated on July 29 at 3:25 p.m.
