Posthumous CTE Diagnosis for Shane Tamura After Shooting
Shane Tamura, the author of a July shooting at the NFL headquarters that took the lives of four people and then his own, was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a statement from the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office. Tamura, 27, had expressed in a note found in his wallet after the shooting his belief that he suffered from CTE and his wish that his brain be examined after his death. The medical examiner’s office found “unequivocal evidence” of CTE in Tamura’s brain tissue. Tests revealed that Tamura suffered from “early-stage CTE.” CTE can only be officially diagnosed after death.Tamura entered the building located at 345 Park Avenue around 6:30 p.m. on July 28 and murdered four people: Didarul Islam, an off-duty police officer; Wesley LePatner, a real estate executive at Blackstone; Julia Hyman, an associate at Rudin Management, and Aland Etienne, a security officer. He also injured an NFL employee and, according to law enforcement, is believed to have been trying to reach the NFL headquarters but took the wrong elevator. In August, a source close to Tamura’s family revealed that he began playing American football at age 6 and continued until high school in the Los Angeles area, before moving to Nevada, where he worked in private security and then in surveillance at a Las Vegas casino. The same source also indicated that Tamura suffered from headaches in adulthood and underwent injections in the back of the head to try to deal with them. The source also mentioned mental health problems. Additionally, Las Vegas law enforcement agents were called on two occasions during his stay in the city for mental health evaluations, according to information released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. This included a call in 2022 in which Tamura’s mother expressed concern that her son would commit suicide. In that call, Tamura’s mother informed the authorities that her son was being treated for depression, concussions, chronic migraines, and insomnia. He was also in custody for mental health issues in 2024 and was arrested in 2023 at the Red Rock Casino in Henderson, Nevada, following a dispute over showing identification after winning at the casino. Prosecutors decided not to file charges against Tamura in the 2023 case.We continue to mourn the senseless loss of life, and our hearts go out to the victims’ families and our dedicated employees. There is no justification for the horrific acts that took place. As the medical examiner notes, ‘the science around this condition continues to evolve, and the physical and mental manifestations of CTE continue to be studied’.
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