Shooter Blamed League for Brain Injuries and CTE, Left Note

On Tuesday, July 29th, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that a man who fatally shot four people and then took his own life in a Manhattan skyscraper may have targeted the American football league. The mayor suggested the shooter blamed the league for brain injuries he claimed to have suffered.

The possible motive for the Monday shootings at offices used by the National Football League, among others, was revealed in a note the killer carried. The note referenced the degenerative brain disease CTE. A source confirmed that a three-page handwritten note was found in the gunman's wallet. In the note, the shooter wrote, "Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Study my brain please. I'm sorry." He also wrote, "Football gave me CTE and it cause me to drink a gallon of antifreeze. You can't go against the NFL. They'll squash you."

The suspected shooter, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, requested that his brain be studied for CTE. He alleged that the league "knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximise profits". Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, Tamura shot a police officer outside the tower on Park Avenue. He then opened fire in the lobby before attempting to access the NFL's offices.

Mayor Adams stated that Tamura had never played for the top professional league, although he was reportedly a star player in high school in California. The incident prompted a large police response in the city's bustling center.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch informed a news conference that Tamura had a history of mental health issues. President Donald Trump described the mass shooting as a "senseless act of violence" carried out by a "lunatic.