A gunman armed with an AR-15-style rifle walked into a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday evening and began firing, killing a New York City police officer and three other people, and critically wounding a fifth person before killing himself, officials said.
The rampage took place blocks from Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in a building owned by Rudin Management and housing offices for the National Football League and the investment giant Blackstone. The workplace mass shooting was particularly shocking in the center of New York City, where similar violence is almost unheard of.
The slain officer was identified as Didarul Islam, 36, who was assigned to a Bronx precinct. He had been with the department for three and a half years and was working at the building, at 345 Park Avenue, in a private security role, officials said at a news conference. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooter’s motives were unclear.
The N.F.L. said one of its employees, whom it did not identify, had been seriously injured in the attack. He was hospitalized, according to a statement from Roger Goodell, the league’s commissioner. The authorities in New York declined to identify the three victims aside from Officer Islam, while their families were being notified.
The gunman burst through the lobby of the building in Midtown about 6:28 p.m., Ms. Tisch said. He shot Officer Islam first, then struck two people and a security guard in the lobby. The gunman allowed a woman to go unharmed as she exited an elevator, before he rode it to the 33rd floor, where he killed one more person.
Some workers fled the 44-story building onto the already harried streets of Midtown during rush hour, as others were trapped in their offices for at least two hours.
Ms. Tisch identified the gunman as Shane Devon Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas. He died in Rudin Management’s 33rd-floor offices, Ms. Tisch said. Mr. Tamura left Nevada and drove through Colorado on July 26, crossing New Jersey on Monday afternoon before entering New York City, Ms. Tisch said.
Law enforcement in Las Vegas had documented Mr. Tamura’s mental health history, and police officers in New York found medication as well as a revolver and ammunition in the vehicle he left on Park Avenue, Ms. Tisch said.
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Officer’s family: Officer Islam, who immigrated from Bangladesh, and his wife have two children and were expecting their third, Ms. Tisch said. He was working off duty as a security guard at the building.
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Office tower
