The man who killed four people in a Manhattan office building on Monday purchased the AR-15-style rifle and the vehicle used in the attack from his supervisor at a Las Vegas casino, authorities announced Wednesday.
Shane Tamura, 27, fatally shot three people in the building’s lobby before proceeding to the 33rd floor, where he killed a fourth person and then took his own life. The building is home to the National Football League’s headquarters among other corporate tenants.
A note found on Tamura’s body condemned the NFL’s handling of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to head trauma, which the former high school football player claimed to have.
As investigators piece together his motives, a separate note discovered in his Las Vegas apartment expressed feelings of disappointing his parents and included an apology to his mother. Police also found prescribed psychiatric medication, an epilepsy drug, and an anti-inflammatory in his home.
Detectives tracking Tamura’s movements learned he bought the rifle for $1,400 and a car from his supervisor in the surveillance department at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The NYPD clarified an earlier statement, confirming the supervisor sold Tamura the complete rifle, not just parts. The legality of the private gun sale is under investigation. The supervisor, who has not been identified, is cooperating with police and has not been charged.
While the investigation continues in Las Vegas, services for the victims have begun in New York. On Wednesday, a funeral was held for Julia Hyman, 27, an employee at the building’s owner, Rudin Management. Her uncle, Rob Pittman, remembered the Bronx native as living with “courage and conviction.”
A gathering was also held for security guard Aland Etienne, who was unarmed and shot at the lobby security desk. “We lost a hero,” said his younger brother, Smith Etienne. “He wore a security officer’s uniform.”
A funeral for NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who was killed while working a department-approved security job at the building, is scheduled for Thursday. Arrangements for the fourth victim, investment executive Wesley LePatner, have not been announced. An NFL employee who was seriously wounded in the shooting is expected to survive.
In Las Vegas, detectives are searching Tamura’s work locker and awaiting warrants for his phone and laptop. Police said Tamura had a history of mental illness, including a dismissed misdemeanor trespassing charge from 2023. This history would not have prevented him from legally purchasing a revolver last month. Nevada has a red-flag law that allows for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed a risk, but it requires family or law enforcement to first petition a court.
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