Gunman who blamed NFL for hiding brain injury dangers had CTE, medical examiner confirms
A New York City medical examiner has confirmed that Shane Tamura, who killed four people in a Manhattan office tower this summer, was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE
FILE - Members of the NYPD's Crime Scene Unit examine a door with bullet holes, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in New York, the day after a deadly shooting. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The former high school football player who killed four people inside a Manhattan office tower that houses the headquarters of the NFL, and who blamed the league for hiding the dangers of brain injuries, was suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE, New York’s medical examiner said Friday.
Shane Tamura, 27, had “unambiguous diagnostic evidence” of low-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, according to the New York City medical examiner.
Tamura, a Las Vegas casino worker who never played in the NFL, carried out the mass shooting on July 28, spraying bullets into the lobby of a Manhattan office building housing the headquarters of the NFL, which he accused of hiding evidence of the brain injury.
Among the dead were a police officer, a security guard and two people who worked at companies in the building. An NFL employee was badly wounded but survived.
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FILE - This undated image provided by Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles shows Shane Tamura. (Nevada Dept. of Motor Vehicles via AP, File)
In a three-page note found in his wallet, Tamura said he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy — diagnosable only after death — and implored those who found him: “Study my brain.”
Among his grievances against the NFL was a claim that the league put its profits ahead of player safety by concealing the harm CTE, and football, can cause.
The brain disease affects regions of the brain involved with regulating behavior and emotions. It has been linked to concussions and other head trauma linked to contact sports, with evidence of the disease found in both professional and high school athletes.
After more than a decade of denial, the NFL conceded the link between football and CTE in 2016 testimony before Congress, and has so far paid more than $1.4 billion to retired players to settle concussion-related claims.
