A deadly shooting erupted Monday evening inside a Manhattan skyscraper, leaving four people dead—including a New York City police officer—and another critically injured before the gunman took his own life. Authorities said the violence unfolded just before 6:30 p.m. at 345 Park Avenue, a prominent office tower that houses the headquarters of the NFL, investment giant Blackstone, KPMG, and Rudin Management. According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the shooter, identified as 40-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, had a documented history of mental health issues, but investigators are still trying to determine why he chose this building. Surveillance video showed Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW armed with an M4 rifle, crossing the plaza, and opening fire in the lobby, where he killed Officer Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old Bangladeshi-born member of the NYPD working a corporate security detail, before continuing his assault. As chaos erupted, he wounded a woman attempting to hide, shot a security guard, and fatally struck another man before heading up to the 33rd floor, where he killed an employee of Rudin Management and then turned the gun on himself.
Police said Tamura’s car, which contained a rifle case, revolver, ammunition, and prescription medication, had been tracked across the country in the days leading up to the attack, passing through Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa, and entering New Jersey just two hours before the shooting. Officer Islam, hailed by Tisch as a hero who “died as he lived,” leaves behind two young sons, with his wife expecting their third child. In addition to the five victims directly shot, four other people sustained minor injuries while fleeing. Witnesses described scenes of panic as rapid bursts of gunfire shattered windows, forcing office workers and visitors to hide or flee. Some barricaded themselves in conference rooms, while others escaped with their hands in the air as police cleared the building. The midtown skyscraper, located near Grand Central Terminal and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, remained on lockdown for hours as heavily armed officers searched each floor. Mayor Eric Adams said investigators are still piecing together the timeline of the attack, which comes as New York City is experiencing a historically low rate of homicides, but also amid heightened anxiety in the corporate sector following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the same neighborhood last year.
