The NYC mass shooter who blamed the NFL for his apparent CTE brain injury did regularly take “some big hits’ on the field that left him “looking empty,” a former high school teammate told The Independent.
Shane Devon Tamura, 27, sprayed bullets from a M4 assault weapon at a Park Avenue office building Monday evening, killing four people including a cop before turning the gun on himself.
Police found Tamura’s body with a suicide note in his pocket that claimed he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition that has been linked to the head trauma regularly endured by those who participate in contact sports, such as football players.
Tobenna Okunna, 28, a onetime defensive end who played with Tamura in high school in Santa Clarita, California, told The Independent that he remembered the player, who was 5’7” and 140 lbs at the time, taking regular blows to the head.
“It’s hard to convey, but Shane was really fast, and ran really hard, and he was really small. So, all that speed and energy running into these massive people… I do remember Shane taking some big hits,” Okunna said in a phone call from his home in North Carolina on Tuesday morning.
Tamura “had occasional moments of looking ‘empty,’ or spaced-out,” Okunna continued. “We would commiserate about how high school is hard and stuff like that, [so] I just figured that whenever he had that look, he was just lost in thought… He did hit his head a lot, for sure.”
Okunna – who went on to play Division 1-A college football at the University of San Diego and now works in the software industry – described the killer as someone who could sometimes appear distracted, almost dazed, but was, all in all, “a very normal guy, very kind and well-liked by a lot of people.” Okunna said he remembered a period of time in high school during which Tamura’s parents were having relationship issues, leading to “some stress around that in his life.”
About seven or eight years ago, another member of the Golden Valley football squad posted an appeal on social media, requesting information about Tamura’s whereabouts.
“I do remember people were worried about him, because he did sort of fall off the face of the earth for a few years,” Okunna said. “I followed Shane on Instagram, he would post sparingly, maybe once a year or so. I knew he was alive and I knew he was doing something, somewhere.”
Tamura was a standout running back for the Golden Valley Grizzlies during the 2014-2015 academic year. In 2015, Tamura transferred to Granada Hills Charter School in Los Angeles, where he played his senior year.
The gunman, who held a Nevada private investigator’s license that expired last year and had lately been working in casino security, had “a documented mental health history,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that Tamura “appeared to have gone to the wrong floor,” and had in fact intended to attack the offices of the NFL located lower down in the 44-story high-rise.
“We’re still going through the suicide note to zero on in the exact reason but at this time it appears as if it’s something attached to his belief he experienced CTE from the NFL,” Adams said in an interview. Despite the lofty claim, Tamura never played beyond the high school level.
“Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” the disjointed note found in Tamura’s pocket reportedly read. “Study my brain please I’m sorry Rick I’m sorry for everything... You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”
In 2005, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Terry Long took his own life by drinking a gallon of antifreeze. It was later discovered that he had been suffering from CTE.
In the period leading up to Monday’s bloodshed, Tamura was living with his mother and father, Michelle and Terence, in Las Vegas. His older brother, Terence Jr., also played football at Golden Valley HS and is now a petty officer in the U.S. Navy.
Cops said Tamura drove his black BMW cross-country to Manhattan, arriving late Monday afternoon, then double-parked and strode into 345 Park Avenue, carrying an assault-style rifle in plain view, shortly before 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the NFL offices, the office tower counts investment giant Blackstone, consulting powerhouse KPMG, and Rudin Management, a venerable local real estate firm which also owns the building, among its tenants.
Tamura opened fire immediately upon entering the lobby, killing 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was working off-duty, but in his police uniform, as a security guard.
Blackstone identified one of its senior executives, Wesley LePatner, as among the dead. The other victims were identified as Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman, a 2020 Cornell University graduate, and Aland Etienne, a “beloved” 46-year-old security guard.
A fifth person – reportedly an NFL executive – was shot and injured, but survived.
Tamura shot himself in the chest with the M4 rifle, authorities said. Investigators searched Tamura's car following the attack, and discovered two cellphones, medication, a loaded Colt Python .357 caliber revolver, and ammunition.
Although Tamura had documented psychological issues, he was able to obtain a concealed carry permit in 2022 from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. That same year, he was taken into custody on a mental health crisis hold; another would occur in 2024, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
In June, a tipster at a gun show in Las Vegas notified law enforcement that Tamura had bought a suspiciously large amount of ammunition, along with an aftermarket trigger, the outlet reported. The Las Vegas Metro PD said Tuesday it was assisting the NYPD with its investigation.
Tamura, who was arrested in Nevada in 2022 for trespassing, does not have a significant criminal record, authorities said. Public records show his father was a member of the LAPD, which was confirmed later on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times. According to a department roster reviewed by the outlet, Terence Sr. became an officer in 1967 and worked primarily in the San Fernando Valley, with later stints in the Foothill and Devonshire patrol divisions. Tamura’s mom is a licensed vocational nurse, according to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, which lists her residence as being in Las Vegas.
“It’s very sad, really tragic, and I’m also just sad for the victims and Shane’s family also,” Okunna told The Independent. “... It was a real surprise, it’s very odd. I don’t know what would compel a person to do that.”
The NYPD is leading the ongoing investigation, with assistance also coming from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
