New York gunman left note blaming NFL for brain injury, mayor says

A gunman who killed four people when he stormed a skyscraper in the heart of New York on Monday evening left a note that appeared to blame the National Football League (NFL) for his brain injury, the city’s Mayor Eric Adams has said.

The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, shot himself dead after opening fire in the lobby of a building where the American football league has offices.

The gunman was carrying a note in which he blamed CTE, a brain disease triggered by head trauma, on his mental illness, Adams said.

Tamura was a football player during his time at high school in California, ex-teammates have told US media, but did not play in the NFL.

New York City police officer Didarul Islam, 36 – who was working as a security guard at the building – was among those killed. Three more victims are yet to be formally identified.

An NFL employee was also “seriously injured” in the attack, the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a message to staff.

Asked about a possible motive, Adams told CBS: “[Temura] did have a note on him. The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports.

“He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.”