A gunman opened fire inside a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday evening, killing four people, including an off-duty New York police officer, before turning the gun on himself.
Authorities confirmed the attack occurred at 345 Park Avenue, a highrise that houses the headquarters of the National Football League (NFL) and several prominent financial firms.
The shooter, identified as 27 year old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, reportedly drove cross-country before arriving in New York earlier in the day. According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Tamura had a documented history of mental illness and was found dead at the scene after taking his own life with an assault rifle.
Among the victims was NYPD officer Didarul Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant, father of two, and husband to a pregnant wife. He had been working as a security guard during off-hours at the time of the attack. New York Mayor Eric Adams called him a “true blue hero”.
The identities of the other victims, two men and a woman, have not yet been released. A fourth male victim was critically wounded and remains in hospital “fighting for his life”, according to city officials.
The shooting spree began during the evening rush hour. Surveillance footage shows the assailant exiting a black BMW that was double-parked between 51st and 52nd streets, before entering the lobby of the Park Avenue tower and opening fire. One witness said the gunman allowed a woman to exit the elevator before proceeding to the 33rd floor, where he continued the attack inside the offices of Rudin Management Company, a leading New York real estate firm.
After shooting another victim on that floor, Tamura entered a stairwell and fatally shot himself, police said. Law enforcement recovered additional weapons and a prescription bottle bearing Tamura’s name from his vehicle.
Tamura is believed to have driven from Las Vegas to New York, making stops in Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and finally New Jersey shortly before arriving in Manhattan.
Police have ruled the incident as isolated, with no indication that Tamura acted in concert with others. Commissioner Tisch confirmed the shooter acted alone and had no known ties to any of the victims or organisations housed in the building.
Police respond to Manhattan shooting
The shooting prompted a heavy police response, with the area around the building locked down and staff ordered to shelter in place. An internal NFL security alert instructed employees to hide and silence their phones until police cleared the building.
“I just saw a lot of commotion, cops everywhere, and people screaming,” said Russ McGee, a 31 year old sports bettor working out in a nearby gym.
The highrise building spans an entire city block and houses major tenants including the NFL, JP Morgan Chase, Blackstone, and other financial giants.
US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed his condolences, calling the event a “horrific shooting” and offering prayers for the NYPD officer’s family. “May God watch over our city during this challenging moment,” he posted on social media.
The tragedy marks the 254th mass shooting in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, are injured or killed by gunfire.
The investigation remains ongoing.
