A gunman killed four people and then took his own life inside a New York City office tower. One more victim remains in critical condition. Mayor Eric Adams shared this update during a late-night hospital briefing.
Surveillance footage captured the shooter, Shane Tamura, stepping out of a black BMW with an M-4 rifle. He immediately entered the building and fired at a police officer. Right after that, he sprayed the lobby with bullets, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Next, Tamura rode the elevator to the 33rd floor. There, he continued shooting before apparently turning the gun on himself. Officers found his body next to the rifle. They also discovered a revolver, ammunition, and medication labelled with his name inside the vehicle.
Tisch confirmed his identity as Shane Tamura from Las Vegas. Although he had a history of mental illness, he legally held a firearm permit in Nevada. He drove across the country over the past few days and reached New York on Monday.
The shooting began around 6:00 pm local time. It happened at 345 Park Avenue, a busy area filled with offices and hotels. The building houses companies like Blackstone, KPMG, and the NFL.
Authorities responded quickly. They sent dozens of officers with ballistic vests and long guns. Meanwhile, police deployed a drone to scan the area during the evening rush hour.
People nearby felt shock and fear. One worker from another building broke down in tears after the lockdown ended. Another witness said the gunman moved from floor to floor as employees prepared to leave.
Mayor Adams confirmed that one of the victims was a 36-year-old NYPD officer from Bangladesh. Two more men and a woman also lost their lives. In addition, another man fights for survival in critical condition.
While no clear motive has surfaced, Tisch said Tamura appeared to act alone. She added that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.
One office worker, Shad Sakib, told AFP, “Everyone was confused with like, ‘wait, what’s going on?’ And then someone finally realised that it’s online, that someone walked in with a machine gun.”
He added, “He walked right into a building right next door. We saw the photo of him walking through the same area that I walked through to get lunch here.”
“You would think it won’t happen to you, and then it does,” Sakib concluded.
Although the U.S. faces frequent mass shootings, the constitutional right to own guns often blocks tougher laws. The Gun Violence Archive has recorded 254 mass shootings in the country this year alone.
Zohran Mamdani, a frontrunner in the mayoral race, expressed sorrow on X. He wrote, “I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer… in my thoughts.”
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates!
