NEW YORK (NEXSTAR) – The man fired a rifle Monday, killing four people, including a New York City police officer, and raiding a Manhattan office tower that injured a fifth person before taking his life, officials said.
The shooting took place in a skyscraper with headquarters for both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment companies, and the headquarters of other tenants.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tish said the shooter, who was identified by authorities as Shane Tamra of Las Vegas, had a “recorded history of mental health,” but his motives were still unknown.
NYC mass shooting gunman attended a high school in Southern California
“We’re working to understand why he targeted this particular location,” Tish said.
Rampage happened at the end of workday in the same part of Manhattan, when United Healthcare CEO was shot outside a hotel late last year.
Buildings NFL HQ, KPMG, Blackstone, Rudin Management
Surveillance video showed them leaving the double-carried BMW just before carrying the M4 rifle before 6:30pm and marching across the public square into the building. He then began firing, Tish said. He murdered a police officer, dealing with details of the company’s security before attacking a woman who was hiding when she shot the lobby in a gunshot.
The man then headed to the elevator bank and shot the guard at the security desk and then shot another man in the lobby, the commissioner said.
The man took the elevator to Rudin Management, the 33rd floor office of the company that owns the building, and shot and killed one person on the floor. The man then shot himself, the commissioner said. The 345 Park Avenue building also houses the offices of financial services company KPMG.
The NFL, which has an office in the building, has confirmed that one of its employees was seriously injured in the shooting. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the injured NFL employee was being treated at the hospital.
He also urged New York NFL employees to work from home or take a break as mass shooting investigations continue on Tuesday.
The police officer who was killed was an immigrant.
The murdered officer was Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had been a police officer in New York City for three and a half years, and said at a press conference.
“He was doing the work we asked him to do. He harmed himself. He made the ultimate sacrifice,” Tish said. “He died while he lived. Hero.”
One man was seriously injured and remains in critical condition, Mayor Eric Adams said. The other four suffered minor injuries while trying to escape.
Adams said officials are still “discovering” what happened.
Officers discovered a rifle incident, a revolver, a magazine and ammunition in Tamra’s car, Tish said. They also found a drug that belongs to Tamura, she said.
She shows his car traveled across the country, passing through Colorado on July 26th and Nebraska and Iowa on July 27th. He drove to New York City shortly after, she said.
Rudin is one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in New York City. The company dates back to 1925 and is still managed by members of the Rudin family.
Tish said there have been no indications so far that Tamura has prior connections with the real estate industry and the city.
No one answered the door to the address listed in Tamra, Las Vegas.
Islam, a murdered officer, leaves behind two young boys, and his wife is pregnant with a third child, Tisi said.
Witnesses heard “rapid fire”
Local TV footage showed a line of people evacuating an office building with their hands on their heads a few hours after the murder.
The Nexialis was having dinner with friends at the Plaza when he heard the shooting.
“It felt like it was two shots faster, then it was a rapid fire,” she told The Associated Press.
The windows shatter and the man runs out of the building, saying, “Help me, help me, I’ll be shot.” Lewis said.
Jessica Chen told ABC News that she “heard multiple shots from the ground floor, continuing to ring,” and was watching the presentation with dozens of people upstairs.
She and the others came across the meeting room, barricaded tables against the door.
“We were honestly, really scared,” she said.
Some of the financial workers in the office building beneath the block were picking up dinner at a restaurant in the corner when they saw people running after hearing the loud noise.
“It was like a crowd panic,” Anna Smith said. They stayed there for about 2 hours before being told they could leave.
Tish says he believes that the two executives work in different parts of the building as part of a program that allows businesses to hire NYPD executives to provide security.
The building where the shooting took place is located in a busy area of Midtown, about a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with a walk just north of Grand Central Terminal.
Until late July, New York City is paced this year to have the fewest murders and fewest people injured in shootings in decades. However, the city’s corporate community has had an edge since last December when United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed outside the hotel where the conference was held.
Luigi Mangione, the man charged with murder, is awaiting trial. Prosecutors accused him of killing Thompson, especially in the health insurance business, as he was angry at his perceived greed. He pleaded not guilty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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