In a tragic attack on July 28, 2025, Shane Devon Tamura, 27, executed a deadly shooting spree in Midtown Manhattan. He killed four innocent people inside the tower at 345 Park Avenue before taking his own life. In a suicide note he left, Tamura blamed the National Football League (NFL) for giving him chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The tone was bitter, accusatory, and deeply personal.
Shooter’s Allegations in Note
Tamura’s note, found in his pocket, made explicit claims about his mental health condition. He wrote that he believed he suffered from CTE, a brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. According to police commissioner Jessica Tisch, he “blamed the NFL for a degenerative brain disease he believed he had.” The note referenced former NFL player Terry Long, alleging: “Terry Long football gave me… They failed us.” The note also begged: “Study my brain please. I’m sorry.”
Authorities say the building houses the NFL’s New York headquarters. Tamura appeared to plan the attack with that location in mind. However, he accessed the wrong bank of elevators and ended up on the 33rd floor in Rudin Management offices instead of the NFL offices.
The Rampage and the Victims
The shooting began shortly before 6:30 p.m. Tamura used an M4-style semiautomatic rifle and fired in the lobby, striking four people. Victims included NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, security guard Aland Etienne, Wesley LePatner from Blackstone, and Julia Hyman from Rudin Management. A fifth person, an NFL employee, was injured and hospitalized in stable condition.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tamura began with the lobby but eventually rode an elevator to the 33rd floor, walked a hallway, fired more rounds, then shot himself in the chest. He later died in the building.
Security was heightened after the incident. NFL offices remained closed at least through August 8, with remote work in effect. Commissioner Roger Goodell described the shooting as “an unspeakable act of violence in our building.”
Experts Warn Against Self‑Diagnosis
CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem, experts emphasize. Boston University CTE Center researchers warned that short high school football careers carry relatively low risk for serious brain trauma. They also cautioned against self‑diagnosing mental illness as CTE. As one researcher noted: “We should be careful about attributing this to one reason.”
Mental health professionals also raised concern. Tamura had a documented history of psychiatric issues, including crisis holds in Nevada in recent years. Misattributing his mental health struggles primarily to CTE may have deterred him from seeking effective treatment.