One day after a man entered a Midtown Manhattan office building with an assault rifle and shot and killed four people, officials investigating the shooting have indicated that his target might have been the National Football League offices.
The NFL has its headquarters located at 345 Park Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who spoke about the shooting in an interview for “Good Day New York,” authorities believe the shooter was focused on the NFL offices but “appeared to have gone to the wrong floor.”
Police officials are still working to find a motive behind Monday night’s shooting. Adams, in an interview with CNN on Monday night, addressed a possible motive.
“The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter’s belief that he was suffering from CTE and (a claim that) he was an ex-NFL player,” Adams said. “Those items just don’t pan out. He never played for the NFL.”
As of Tuesday morning, investigators were looking to see whether Shane Devin Tamura actually did target the building due to the NFL’s headquarters being there, The Associated Press reported.
Why Have the NFL Offices Become the Center of Attention Over the Shooting?
Officials have identified the shooter as Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Monday night that Tamura had a “documented mental health history.” Tamura died of a self-inflicted gunshot after the attack in the building.
Senior NFL Insider Diana Russini of The Athletic posted on X on Tuesday that “a high-ranking NFL source shares that Craig Clementi was struck in the back by a bullet during Monday night’s shooting at the building that houses the NFL’s offices. Clementi was able to warn his colleagues to stay safe and evacuate the building.”
A high-ranking NFL source shares that Craig Clementi was struck in the back by a bullet during Monday night’s shooting at the building that houses the NFL’s offices.
Clementi was able to warn his colleagues to stay safe and evacuate the building.
More: https://t.co/bcSr2aNjWR pic.twitter.com/rdRFgsdF6W
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 29, 2025
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in an initial memo sent out, indicated that a league employee was injured in the attack. He indicated that the employee was in stable condition at the hospital and “all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for.”
“One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack,” Goodell said in a statement to NFL staff, according to The Athletic. “He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital, and we are supporting his family.”
In Russini’s report for The Athletic, she notes that Clementi, who works in the NFL’s finance department, was shot in the back.
Clementi, according to Russini, was on the phone with NFL employees and warned them to stay safe and evacuate the building. Clementi, who reportedly has a new baby, kept calling people while being transferred by ambulance to a New York hospital.
Goodell added that the NFL will have increased security at its office building. He also told employees to either work remotely or take the day off on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump addressed the New York shooting in a post on Truth Social.
Trump, who is in Scotland at this time, indicated that he had been briefed on the situation. “I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence,” he wrote.
What Led the Shooter to Target the NFL Headquarters?
New York police officials, according to The AP, said they found a note on Tamura’s body. In the note, Tamura suggested that he had a grievance against the NFL over a claim, which is unsubstantiated, that he suffered from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Police officials indicated that Tamura shot himself in the chest, not in the head. There’s a history of former NFL players doing the same thing. Junior Seau and Dave Duerson also shot themselves in the chest, hoping that authorities would study their brains after dying.
“Study my brain please,” Tamura’s note said, according to The New York Times. “I’m sorry.”
Tamura played high school football in California about two decades ago, according to The AP.
Shooter Entered NYC Building with Assault Rifle in Hand
Tamura entered the building before 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday with an assault rifle, The Athletic reported. Tamura shot four people on the ground floor, three of whom were killed. Tamura then rode an elevator to the 33rd floor, where he killed another person before he shot himself.
Among the victims in Monday’s shooting were New York City police officer Didarul Islam, 36, and Wesley LePatner, an employee of Blackstone, a large investment firm whose offices are also in the building.
Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department.
He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today.
We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honor his legacy.#FidelisAdMortem pic.twitter.com/vkBZetsz2N
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2025
Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh, had been on the NYPD police force for 3.5 years. He was married with two boys, Tisch said. At this time, Islam’s wife is pregnant with their third child. When his body was removed from the scene, a New York Police Department flag was draped over him.
Blackstone issued a statement regarding LePatner’s death. “Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” the firm said in a statement, The AP reported. “Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.”
New York Congressman Ritchie Torres posted a tribute to LePatner on X. He wrote, in part, “A city is only as strong as its people, and Wesley LePatner represented the very best of New York. She left a lasting impact wherever she went: as a senior executive at Blackstone, a devoted congregant at the Altneu synagogue, and a dedicated board member at the Heschel School.”
My heart goes out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Wesley LePatner, one of the victims of the tragic shooting in Midtown Manhattan.
A city is only as strong as its people, and Wesley LePatner represented the very best of New York. She left a lasting impact wherever she… pic.twitter.com/AczijmDrRz
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 29, 2025
LePatner was a graduate of Yale and a real estate executive with Blackstone. She reportedly spent a decade working for Goldman Sachs before going to work for Blackstone in 2014.
The Athletic also reported that Manny Pastreich, president of Union 32BJ, representing New York City workers, including security guards and janitors, said Aland Etienne, a security guard at the building, was another person killed in the shooting.
