Park Avenue Mass Shooting Suspect's Alleged Note Included Mentions of CTE and NFL, NYC Mayor Says

Park Avenue shooting suspect Shane Tamura said in an alleged note found on his body that he had CTE and seemingly “blamed the NFL,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.

As new details continue to roll in about the deadly shooting, we take a closer look at what's known so far below. Keep reading for more.

What's known about the Park Avenue shooting suspect?

On the evening of Monday, July 28, Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, fatally shot four people at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan. He later died by suicide. Among the deceased was NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was “protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short,” per the department.

According to police, Tamura had a “documented mental health history.” NBC 4 New York reported on an alleged note found on Tamura’s body at the scene, saying it included mentions of his time as a football player and claims of having CTE.

“On Monday, July 28, 2025 at approximately 1828 hours, police officers responded to multiple 911 calls of an active shooter inside 345 Park Avenue within the confines of the MTN Precinct,” a spokesperson for NYPD’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said in an email to Complex on Tuesday. “Upon arrival, officers discovered a male Police Officer, two male civilians and one female civilian with gunshot wounds in the lobby of the location.”

The DCPI spokesperson continued, “EMS responded and transported the individuals to local area hospitals where the police officer, female civilian and one male civilian were pronounced deceased. Further investigation on the 33rd floor revealed a female with a gunshot wound and a male with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. EMS responded to the 33rd floor and pronounced these individuals deceased. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.”

What did NYC Mayor Eric Adams say about the deadly shooting?

In an interview with PIX11 Tuesday morning, Adams, who previously confirmed that local authorities were working with the FBI as part of an ongoing investigation, was asked about the aforementioned alleged note. Per Adams, the suspect is believed to have taken the wrong elevator bank after entering the building.

“The note was found on the suspect,” Adams said, as seen below. “He stated he had CTE, a brain injury known for those who played a contact sport of some nature. He seemed to have blamed the NFL. NFL headquarters was located in the building and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank. As you know, in many of our corporate buildings based on the floors you want to get to you have to go to certain elevator banks, and he went on the wrong elevator bank which took him to Rudin Management.”

While the suspect was “not an NFL player” himself, Adams added, “it appears as though he was blaming the NFL for his CTE matter.”

Adams also said that the suspect fatally shot himself in the chest, which he said “appears to have been” a decision inspired by his attempt “to preserve his brain for a reason of research.”

What is CTE?

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more commonly known as CTE, is described by Harvard Health as “a disease linked to repeated blows to the head.” The disease can potentially be associated with head trauma of any kind, though it has long been a source of controversy and concern in sports specifically, particularly in the NFL.

While the Park Avenue shooting suspect allegedly claimed to have CTE, it’s worth pointing out that it can only be “definitively diagnosed” after death.