A shooting at a midtown Manhattan office building on Monday left at least five people dead, including an off-duty New York City police officer, sources told the The Associated Press.
The suspect was identified as Shane Tamura, of Nevada, two people briefed on the investigation told the AP. Sources said he fatally shot himself.
Law enforcement officials located identification on Tamura’s body, including a concealed carry permit from Las Vegas, the people said. The people were not authorized to discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The Fire Department of New York said emergency crews were called to the Park Avenue office building around 6:30 p.m. for a report of someone shot. The building houses some of the country’s top financial firms and the National Football League.
Investigators believe that he was trying to target the NFL headquarters but took the wrong elevator, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday. A rambling note found on Tamura’s body suggested he had a grievance against the NFL over an unsubstantiated claim that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports like football.
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Roger Goodell said in a memo to staff Tuesday that “all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for,” following the shooting at the league’s headquarters in Manhattan.
Goodell praised the swift law enforcement response and honored the NYPD officer who was killed in the attack.
Employees in New York were instructed to work remotely Tuesday or take the day off, he said, and additional security will be in place.
“Every one of you is a valued member of the NFL family. We will get through this together,” Goodell said.
Jessica Chen told ABC News she was watching a presentation with dozens of other people on the second floor when she “heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor.”
She and others ran into a conference room and barricaded tables against the door.
“We were honestly really, really scared,” she said, adding that she texted her parents to tell them that she loves them.
Mayor Adams said multiple people were injured. He posted a clip to social media urging people still inside the office building to stay put because police officers were conducting a floor-by-floor search. The Democrat said he’s headed to the hospital to speak with the family and loved ones of those involved.
Local TV footage showed lines of people evacuating the office building with their hands above their heads. The building includes offices of Blackstone and the consulate general of Ireland.
Some finance workers at an office building down the block were picking up dinner at a corner eatery when they heard a loud noise and saw people running.
“It was like a crowd panic,” said Anna Smith, who joined the workers pouring back into the finance office building. They remained there for about two hours before being told they could leave.
The building where the shooting happened is in a busy area of midtown, located a short walk north from Grand Central Terminal and about a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The city’s emergency management alert system warned of traffic delays, road closures and disruptions to public transportation in the area.
Through late July, New York City is on pace to have its fewest murders and fewest people hurt by gunfire than any year in recent decades.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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