Shooter’s Journey from High School Football to Manhattan Tragedy
The July 28 shooting at the NFL’s headquarters in Manhattan left New York reeling. Shane Devon Tamura, just 27, drove all the way from Las Vegas with violence on his mind. He entered the lobby of 345 Park Avenue, the skyscraper home to the NFL, clutching an M4 assault rifle. Within minutes, gunshots echoed through the building, leaving five people wounded, four fatally, before Tamura shot himself on the 33rd floor.
Tamura wasn’t just a name on a police report. He once played competitive high school football at Granada Hills Charter and Golden Valley High Schools back in Los Angeles. Old teammates from those schools remembered him as a bit of a goofball, not someone obviously troubled or menacing. But after graduation, things clearly took a darker turn. Tamura ended up in Las Vegas, holding a concealed firearms permit and even working as a private investigator—until his license expired.
CTE References and Troubling Signs
One detail makes this case stand out: the note detectives found in Tamura’s wallet. It ran three pages and brought up the topic of CTE—chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a brain condition that has been linked to repeated head injury, often affecting athletes in contact sports like football. The note didn’t read like a confession, but it did hint at anger, confusion, and possible struggles with his mental state.
Investigators are now digging into whether Tamura’s time on the football field played a part in what happened. Did hits to the head trigger profound changes in his mood or impulse control? Or was it something else entirely? Even former classmates are stunned, not recalling signs of mental health issues during his time on the team. Yet evidence shows Tamura had a documented mental health history, and in his car police found more ammunition, a revolver, medication, and a backpack—signs he arrived in Manhattan well-prepared for chaos.
The shooting unfolded over several frantic minutes. Reports say Tamura first opened fire in the building’s lobby—his real target was the NFL’s offices, but an elevator mishap had him coming out at the wrong floor at one point. He eventually made it up to the 33rd floor, where Rudin Management had staff working.
- An NYPD officer was killed while responding to the chaos.
- A woman seeking shelter in the lobby lost her life in the crossfire.
- A security guard died at his post trying to protect others.
- Another unidentified victim was killed after Tamura reached the 33rd floor.
Authorities, including Mayor Eric Adams, confirmed there was no doubt—the NFL headquarters was the main target. That aim, paired with Tamura’s football background and open references to CTE, is raising new debates. Is there a link between head trauma and the worst kinds of rage? Or is the picture more complicated?
While investigations continue, the shooting has shattered the sense of safety at a landmark New York address—and sparked fresh questions about the toll football can take far beyond the playing field. For now, grief and confusion ripple through two communities: the city rocked by gun violence, and the football world wondering how an ordinary player ended up carrying out a deadly rampage.
