A chilling note was tucked away in Shane Devon Tamura’s back pocket as he unleashed a violent rampage inside a swanky Midtown Manhattan skyscraper.
The handwritten note appeared to mention some of the 27-year-old gunman's grievances. “I’m sorry,” he wrote before gunning down four victims and then himself in the luxury office building.
Highlights
- Shane Devon Tamura kept a handwritten message in his pocket during the Manhattan skyscraper shooting.
- He was captured carrying a large M4 assault rifle in hand while entering the luxury office building.
- “They’ll squash you,” he wrote in his note, expressing his grievances against the NFL.
- Shane was a star football player in high school and was described as a "class clown" by former high school mates.
Former classmates described the shooter as a “class clown” and “the biggest goofball in the world.”
A chilling note was tucked away in Shane Devon Tamura’s back pocket during the Manhattan skyscraper shooting
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Shane had left his Las Vegas address on July 26, driving over 2,500 miles with a backpack, his rifle, a loaded revolver, a rifle case with rounds, ammunition and magazines, and his prescribed medication. He passed through Colorado and New Jersey before entering Manhattan.
During the rush hour on July 28, he parked his BMW outside the targeted office building at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The headquarters of the NFL and Blackstone are located in the same building.
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With a large M4 assault rifle in hand, the shooter entered the lobby alone and opened fire at around 6:40 p.m. He gunned down four victims, including an NYPD officer, before shooting himself in the chest.
His body was located on the 33rd floor with the bloodstained rifle next to him.
The lone gunman was carrying a large M4 assault rifle when he entered the luxury office building in which the NFL headquarters is located
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Authorities found a note in his back pocket that claimed he suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a brain disease linked to head trauma.
The disease is most commonly associated with football players, who are diagnosed with the condition after repetitive hits to the head during the game.
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“Study my brain please I’m sorry Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything,” read the note.
Shane also mentioned former football player Terry Long in the handwritten message.
Terry, a former Pittsburgh Steelers player, was diagnosed with CTE and ended his own life by drinking antifreeze in 2005.
“Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” read Shane’s note. “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”
The NFL headquarters are located on the fifth floor of the building, but Shane did not go there.
Authorities are yet to confirm the motive behind the shooting. He had a “documented mental health history,” officials said.
“Study my brain please ... Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything,” read the handwritten note
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CTE, an incurable degenerative brain disorder, can have multiple effects on one’s behavior.
“Memory loss and cognitive changes are the most predictive symptoms of CTE, but other common symptoms include impulsivity, aggression, verbal and physical violence, having a short fuse, loss of control and depression,” Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and director at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, previously told Today.
NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who was convicted of ending the life of his friend Odin Lloyd in 2015, was diagnosed with CTE.
Two years into his jail sentence, Aaron took his life in his prison cell, and his brain was later found to have signs of severe CTE.
Shane gunned four victims down, including an NYPD officer awaiting the birth of his third child next month
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Shane was a star athlete in school and graduated from Golden Valley High School in 2016 as a standout running back.
His coach told the Los Angeles Times during his senior year that he expected “big things” from him.
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Shane was described as a “class clown” by former classmate Caleb Clarke.
“He was the biggest goofball in the world, just a ton of energy, class clown,” Caleb Clarke told NBC News. “Just one of those guys, he’s got so much going for him. Just figure out the whole school thing, and he could be somebody great.”
People used furniture to block doors while trapped in the building with the shooter
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Caleb remembered Shane as the “fastest kid” he’s ever met. People in high school expected him to play in NFL games someday, he noted.
“I don’t think he walked around to be like, ‘Oh, I’ll have NFL games one day,’” Caleb recalled.
“I think it was more of everybody just telling him how great he was … And then, after high school, you know, didn’t see from him that much and didn’t hear from him that much, because he wasn’t on the field,” he continued.
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Caleb said he lost touch with Shane but reconnected with him recently online. He said the former classmate was working at a Las Vegas casino at the time.
“You never would have thought violence was something you’d associate with him,” he added. “Everything he said was a joke.”
The assailant was described as a star athlete during his high school days
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Another former high school friend said Shane was “a great guy in general.”
“He didn’t cause any problems, actually at all, in the locker room or on the field. He was just a guy that really enjoyed the sport, not problematic at all,” they told CNN affiliate KABC. “When I found out the news, I was really shocked and I just really couldn’t believe it.”
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He was a “great player,” former football coach Walter Roby said about the deceased assailant.
“He came in, worked hard, kept his nose down,” the coach said. “He was a quiet kid, well-mannered, very coachable. Whatever needed to be done, he would do.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or thoughts of ending their own life, help is available: International Hotlines
“He must have traumatized a lot of people just to get up on that floor with a weapon,” one commenter wrote online
