A gunman killed at least four people inside the foyer of a building in midtown Manhattan on Monday, including an off-duty New York policeman, before fatally shooting himself.
Identified by the authorities as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, they said he had travelled into the city from Las Vegas in recent days.
The shooting took place as many people prepared to leave the building in a busy area of midtown at the end of the work day.
“No words can describe this act of evil. A man takes the lives of others who are innocent. And no words can fill the void that has been left by this tragedy,” said New York’s mayor, Eric Adams.
The gunman was believed to have acted alone, and investigators are yet to determine a possible motive for the shooting.
Various media, however, are reporting sources as saying a suicide note was found in Tamura’s pocket.
It reportedly expresses grievances with the National Football League (NFL), whose corporate offices are in the building.
He is said to have played competitive football in his youth and claimed to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated head trauma.
Tamura apparently wrote that the NFL did not do enough to address CTE, which has been linked to cognitive, emotional, and behavioural problems in former players.
The shooting is the deadliest gun attack in New York City in 25 years.
Source: Africanews
