Tragedy in Manhattan: Revelations about the Shooter
New details have emerged about the shooting in an office building in Manhattan, where a man murdered four people before taking his own life. Authorities have revealed key information about the acquisition of the weapon and the vehicle used in the attack.
Shane Tamura, 27, bought the rifle used in the attack and the car he drove from Las Vegas to New York from his supervisor at a Las Vegas casino, authorities reported Wednesday.
Tamura opened fire on Monday, killing three people in the building lobby before going up to the 33rd floor, where he took the life of a fourth person before committing suicide. The building houses the headquarters of the National Football League (NFL) and other corporate offices.
In a note found on his body, Tamura criticized the NFL’s handling of concerns related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and stated that he himself suffered from this degenerative brain disease, linked to concussions and other head traumas, according to the police.
In Tamura’s apartment in Las Vegas, investigators found another note with a worrying message, where he expressed that his parents were disappointed with him and included an apology to his mother.
The police also found psychiatric medications, an epilepsy drug, and an anti-inflammatory that had been prescribed to Tamura.
Investigations revealed that Tamura acquired the rifle and the car from his supervisor in the surveillance department of the Horseshoe Las Vegas, according to the New York City Police Department.
The supervisor legally purchased the AR-15 style rifle that he sold to Tamura for $1,400, authorities clarified, adding that they had been mistaken in previously stating that the supervisor had only provided parts of the rifle. It has not yet been determined whether the sale of the weapon was legal.
The police have not revealed the identity of the supervisor, who has cooperated with the authorities and has not been charged with any crime. Tamura made a reference to him, apologizing, in the note found in his wallet after the massacre, according to the police.The victims’ funerals begin
While investigators work in New York and Las Vegas, the funeral of Julia Hyman, an employee of a real estate company, was held on Wednesday in a Manhattan synagogue. Her uncle, Rob Pittman, remembered the 27-year-old as someone who lived “with her eyes wide open” and with “courage and conviction”.
Hyman had worked since November at Rudin Management, which owns the building and has offices on the 33rd floor. A 2020 graduate of Cornell University, she was captain of the soccer, swimming, and lacrosse teams at Riverdale Country School in her senior year, according to school officials.
Family and colleagues of another victim, security guard Aland Etienne, remembered him at a meeting at his union office. Etienne, who was unarmed, was killed while guarding the lobby security desk.
We lost a hero. He didn’t wear a cape. He didn’t have sophisticated equipment. He wore the uniform of a security officer.
The police were preparing for the funeral of New York City police officer Didarul Islam on Thursday. A member of the force for more than three years, he was killed while working, in uniform, at a second job approved by the department, providing security for the building.
Funeral arrangements for the fourth victim, investment firm executive Wesley LePatner, have not yet been made public.
An NFL employee who was seriously injured in the attack is expected to survive.The investigation continues in Las Vegas
New York City detective squads continued working Wednesday in Las Vegas, where they had a warrant to search Tamura’s box office at the Horseshoe casino and were awaiting orders to search his phone and laptop, according to police. They also planned to speak with his parents.
In addition to the note and medication in his apartment, they found a tripod for his rifle, a box for a revolver that was found in his car in New York, and some ammunition for both weapons, according to the police department.
Police have stated that Tamura had a history of mental illness, but have not provided details. In September 2023, he was arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge after being asked to leave a suburban Las Vegas casino and becoming agitated when asked for his identification. Prosecutors later dismissed the case.
His psychiatric history would not have prevented him from legally purchasing the revolver last month.
Nevada is one of 21 states with a red flag law that allows guns to be taken away from people if the courts determine they pose a risk to themselves or others. First, family members or authorities must request a so-called extreme risk protection order.
A new state law, which went into effect this month, also allows officers to confiscate firearms in the vicinity of someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
