The man who shot and killed four people in a New York City office building in July before killing himself had CTE in his brain, according to the New York City medical examiner’s office.
Shane Tamura, who carried out the shooting at 345 Park Avenue on July 28, left behind a three-page handwritten note that said “Please study brain for CTE.”
CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, is a brain condition associated with repeated head injuries. Symptoms include memory loss, impaired decision-making, personality changes, and impulsiveness. It can be diagnosed only by analyzing the brain after death.
Tamura, a former high school football player, appeared to be targeting the National Football League, which has an office in the midtown Manhattan office building.
“Football gave me CTE and it cause me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” his note read.
“The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us,” read another page, referring to the NFL.
CTE has been found in the brain tissue of some former NFL players, including some who have had violent outbursts. The NFL first acknowledged the link between football and CTE in 2016 and has introduced some rules that it says help make the sport safer.
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The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said in a Friday statement that it “found unambiguous diagnostic evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE,” in Tamura’s brain tissue.
“The findings correspond with the classification of low-stage CTE, according to current consensus criteria,” the office said.
Representatives for the NFL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tamura never made it to the NFL’s office at 345 Park Avenue. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, he took the wrong elevator bank and went to the office of the real estate company Rudin Management.
Tamura killed Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, Rudin employee Julia Hyman, police officer Didarul Islam, and security guard Aland Etienne — then shot himself in the chest.
