Gunman Targets NFL Headquarters in NYC, Slaughters Four After Entering Wrong Elevator Bank

A disturbed former high school football player with a grudge against the NFL turned Midtown Manhattan into a war zone Monday evening, gunning down four people and wounding several others inside a 45-story office tower—after mistakenly taking the wrong elevator.

Authorities say 38-year-old Shane Tamura, a California native and ex-athlete with a history of mental illness, stormed into 345 Park Avenue just before 5 p.m. with one mission: reach the NFL’s fifth-floor headquarters and “make them pay.” But Tamura reportedly took the wrong elevator bank, ended up on the 33rd floor, and unleashed a storm of bullets on innocent employees of Rudin Management instead.

“His target was the NFL,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed Tuesday morning. “But he entered the wrong elevator and never made it to the fifth floor. It was a tragic mistake with deadly consequences.”

Tamura left behind a chilling suicide note, discovered near his body after police shot him dead in an exchange of gunfire. According to sources close to the investigation, the note expressed a deep hatred for the NFL, which he blamed for destroying his life.

“He alluded to CTE,” said Mayor Adams, referring to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. “He believed the sport ruined his brain, and he blamed the league.”

Tamura, who played football at Granada Hills Charter High School near Los Angeles, had no known professional ties to the NFL but referenced “years of pain, confusion, and rage” in his final letter, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed Tamura drove across the country in a rented vehicle, last seen in Columbia, New Jersey, just hours before the shooting. How he managed to enter the heavily monitored office tower with an arsenal of firearms remains under investigation.

“He was determined. He was methodical,” Tisch said. “He had the weapons, he had the motive, and tragically, he found his way into that building.”

Officials said Tamura fired over 40 rounds before being killed by NYPD officers on the 33rd floor. Among the dead are two Rudin Management employees, a visiting consultant, and an NYPD officer identified as Didarul Islam, 28, who responded to the scene and was ambushed in the hallway.

While Tamura never reached the NFL’s offices, one NFL employee was injured in the chaos and remains hospitalized. In a message sent to league staff Tuesday morning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the shooting “an unspeakable act of violence.”

“We are shaken, but we are standing together,” Goodell wrote. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and our wounded colleague who is now in stable condition.”

The building has since been evacuated and cleared.

Mayor Adams praised Rudin Management’s preparation. “They ran active shooter drills, and that likely saved lives,” he said. “Staff quickly locked down, sheltered in safe rooms. In a situation like this, seconds matter.”

New Yorkers woke up Tuesday grappling with the city’s deadliest mass shooting in over two decades. In total, four lives were lost, at least six others were injured, and a city’s sense of safety was rattled once again.

“He was angry, he was broken, and he had a gun,” said a shaken NYPD detective at the scene. “That’s a recipe for disaster. And we saw it play out, right here in our city.”

The NYPD, FBI, and Homeland Security are now reviewing Tamura’s travel history, mental health records, and any prior online threats. Investigators say the suspect’s digital footprint revealed months of disturbing posts blaming the NFL for “turning him into a ghost.”

Mayor Adams has ordered an immediate security review of all high-profile offices and landmarks across the city. Meanwhile, the NFL said it will enhance security at its headquarters and partner facilities nationwide.

“This is about more than one shooter,” Adams said. “This is about how we protect our workers, our first responders, and our citizens from those who slip through the cracks.”

As the investigation unfolds, one question remains unanswered: Could this have been prevented?