Possible NFL Related Motive In NYC Shooting Revealed

Shane Tamura, the suspect in the shooting at a New York City office building that houses the NFL's headquarters, mentioned the league and claimed to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the note he was found carrying at the time, police sources confirmed to ABC News.

Tamura, 27, who shot and killed four people before killing himself at 345 Park Ave., Monday (July 28) evening, reportedly asked that his brain be studied for CTE, a disease widely suspected to be caused by repeated blows to the head, which has been linked to the league and the sport of football as a whole. The references to the NFL in the three-page note found on Tamura were described as being vague by sources with knowledge of the situation, ABC News reports.

Police haven't yet confirmed an official motive for the killings. Tamura, who played high school football in Southern California, was reported to have had two Mental Health Crisis Holds in Nevada in 2022 and 2024, which typically allow a person to be detained for up to 72 hours if they are suspected to be a danger to themselves or others.

CTE cannot be diagnosed with certainty among living people as it can only be confirmed through an autopsy in which specialists study specific changes in the brain, however, doctors can suspect it based on symptoms and past head trauma. Symptoms of CTE include memory loss, mood changes, confusion and trouble thinking clearly among patients.