Shane Devon Tamura opened fire inside a Midtown Manhattan office tower Monday (July 28), killing four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, before taking his own life on the 33rd floor, authorities said.
The 27-year-old, wearing tactical body armor and armed with an M4-style rifle, exited a double-parked BMW outside 345 Park Ave. and began shooting inside the lobby just before 6:30 p.m. ET, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“He entered alone and immediately opened fire on an NYPD officer and sprayed the lobby with bullets,” Tisch said during a press briefing.
The building houses major tenants including the NFL and investment giant Blackstone, though officials haven’t confirmed whether any victims were affiliated with those companies.
After shooting a security guard near the elevators, Tamura rode to the 33rd floor, where he fatally shot another person before turning the weapon on himself. His body was discovered by officers shortly after.
Tisch said Tamura drove from Las Vegas to New York and legally owned a concealed carry permit in Nevada. “We believe this to be a lone shooter,” she said.
Authorities recovered a loaded revolver, ammunition, magazines, a rifle case, backpack and medication prescribed to Tamura from his vehicle. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the motive remains unclear and the investigation is ongoing.
Inside the building, chaos erupted as workers scrambled for safety. Jessica Chen, who was attending a presentation on the second floor with around 150 people, described the terrifying moments.
“We heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor, and a lot of us just rushed into the room,” Chen told ABC News. “Some went out in the back door, out onto the street. Other people, including me, we ran into the conference room and then eventually barricaded the tables across the doors and just stayed still. I texted my parents I love them. Nothing can describe that feeling.”
Chen said she had trained for active shooter scenarios in school and never imagined she’d face one in real life. “It’s unfortunate that all Americans could think this through,” she said.
The FBI’s New York Field Office responded to assist local law enforcement. “To provide support at the active crime scene in Manhattan,” Bongino posted on Twitter (X).
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on the situation. KPMG, which also has offices in the building, issued a statement: “Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific act and their families. We are incredibly grateful for the bravery of building security and law enforcement.”
The assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office promised the “full force” of the agency in the investigation into today’s shooting.
“You have the full force of FBI New York and full force of FBI to get to the bottom of the answers,” Chris Raia, the assistant director in charge of the office, said.
The investigation into the gunman’s motives and the shooting is ongoing. Raia said that “initial checks of our internal systems have not revealed any information about the subject.