By Perry Smith and Michael Picarella
Signal Staff Writers
New York Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday said the New York Police Department has sent officers to the Las Vegas home of the former Santa Clarita Valley resident identified as the shooter in a Midtown Manhattan shooting the previous day that left five dead.
The NYPD has released several pieces of information about Shane Devon Tamura, 27, a former Golden Valley High School student who fatally shot himself after killing a police officer and three others at 345 Park Ave.
During a news conference Monday night, NYPD officials speculated the attack was linked to ongoing mental health issues Tamura had been experiencing. The next day, numerous media reports mentioned prescription medication and notes found on Tamura’s body indicating Tamura blamed the NFL for the mental health issues.
The 645-foot-tall skyscraper where the shooting occurred houses the offices of Blackstone, Rudin Management and the National Football League.
Adams told CBS on Tuesday morning that officers reported Tamura believed he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by repeated head contact, which is commonly associated with the NFL, and that he blamed the NFL.
“He did have a note on him,” Adams said on air. “The note alluded that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury, for those who participate in contact sports.”
2014: Running Back at Golden Valley
Tamura had no professional football experience, but he was a standout football player his sophomore and junior season at Golden Valley.
Dan Kelley, head coach of the varsity football team at the time, in October 2014 credited Tamura with dramatically boosting the team’s offense, having scored more than half of the team’s touchdowns up to that point in the season.
In an Oct. 10, 2014, Signal story, it was noted that Grizzlies fans expressed disappointment “in the rare instances he (Tamura) doesn’t break off a big run or take it to the house.”
“He’s a game-breaker. You definitely want the ball in his hands,” Kelley said of the running back. “He’s even harder on himself when he doesn’t take it all the way. I always have to remind him that not every play is going to go for a touchdown.”
In the same story, Tamura was quoted as saying, “I didn’t expect to be a part of the offense. Going from JV to varsity is a huge difference and it’s surreal to be seeing the ball this much and having the team doing so well.”
Coach Kelley sang the football player’s praises, saying that, in his 20th year coaching high school football, Tamura was one of the most talented kids he’d ever seen. “The sky is the limit with Shane,” he added.
As a junior on the varsity football team at Golden Valley High School in the 2014 season, Tamura racked up 774 rushing yards and found the end zone 11 times. He also added 103 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, showcasing his versatility out of the backfield.
At least one of Tamura’s teammates spoke about Tamura’s impact on the team. In a Sept. 27, 2014, Signal story, junior quarterback Victor Corona highlighted Tamura’s impact on the team during a 2-2 start to the season, saying, “Having Shane to lean on was big for me, too.”
Tamura played at least two seasons of football at Golden Valley High School between 2013 and 2014. He was a junior on the varsity team in 2014, but according to Debbie Dunn, communications coordinator for the William S. Hart Union High School District, Tamura left the school during the 2014-2015 school year. He transferred to Granada Hills Charter High School to play his senior year there. That very well might’ve been the last time Tamura played football.
Monday Shooting
Adams said that officers think Tamura took the wrong elevator on Monday in what’s been suspected as an attempt to reach the NFL headquarters in the building, which is how he ended up in the offices for Rudin Management.
“And that is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees,” Adams said.
The five killed in the shooting, including Tamura, who killed himself on Rudin’s floor, were: Julie Hyman, who worked at Rudin; NYPD Officer Didarul Islam; Wesley LePatner, a senior managing director specializing in real estate at Blackstone; and security officer Aland Etienne.
“As a mark of respect for the memory of NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who died in the line of duty and the multiple victims of the mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan at 345 Park Ave. yesterday, I’ve ordered all flags on all city buildings and stationary flagstaffs throughout the five boroughs to be lowered to half-staff until further notice,” Adams posted Tuesday on X.
NFL statement
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a statement to all league employees, which was shared on X by Adam Schefter.
Goodell acknowledges that a league employee was injured in the “unspeakable act of violence in our building,” according to the message posted on X shortly after midnight Tuesday.
“One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital, and we are supporting his family,” he wrote.
“We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared.”
The employee was not identified in the statement.
