NEW YORK (AP) A man killed four people, including a New York City police officer, and wounded a fifth on Monday when he stormed through a Manhattan office tower with a rifle before killing himself, according to authorities.
The incident happened inside a skyscraper that houses the NFL’s headquarters, Blackstone, one of the biggest financial firms in the world, and other tenants.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the shooter, identified by authorities as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, had a documented history of mental health issues; nevertheless, his motivation remained unclear.
Tisch stated, “We are trying to figure out why he targeted this specific location.”
In the same area in Manhattan where the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot dead outside a hotel late last year, the rampage took place at the end of the workday.
Just before 6:30 p.m., the man was seen on surveillance footage carrying an M4 rifle as he walked across a public plaza inside the building after getting out of a double-parked BMW. According to Tisch, he then opened fire, killing a police officer on a corporate security detail before striking a woman who attempted to hide as he sprayed gunfire throughout the lobby.
According to the commissioner, the suspect then proceeded to the elevator bank, where he shot a security desk guard and another individual in the lobby.
After using the elevator to reach the offices of Rudin Management, the building’s owner, on the 33rd story, the man shot and murdered one person there. The commissioner then claimed that the man had shot himself. KPMG, a financial services company, also has offices at 345 Park Avenue.
At a press conference, Tisch revealed that the deceased officer was 36-year-old Didarul Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant who had worked as a police officer in New York City for three and a half years.
He was carrying out the task we requested of him. He exposed himself to danger. According to Tisch, he made the ultimate sacrifice. As he lived, he died. A hero.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, one individual was gravely injured and is still in critical condition. While trying to escape, four more people suffered minor injuries.
According to Adams, authorities are still figuring out what happened.
According to Tisch, officers discovered magazines, ammo, a pistol, and a rifle case in Tamura’s vehicle. According to her, they also discovered Tamura’s medication.
According to her, preliminary findings indicate that his car drove across the nation, first through Colorado on July 26 and then Nebraska and Iowa on July 27. As recently as 4:24 p.m. on Monday, the vehicle was in Columbia, New Jersey. She added that soon after, he drove into New York City.
One of New York City’s biggest privately held real estate firms is Rudin. The Rudin family currently runs the business, which was founded in 1925.
According to Tisch, there are currently no signs that Tamura had any past ties to the city or the real estate sector.
At the Las Vegas address for Tamura, no one answered the door.
According to Tisch, Islam, the deceased cop, leaves behind two young boys, and his wife is expecting their third kid.
In the hours following the murders, local television video showed lines of people leaving the office building while holding their hands over their heads.
When Nekeisha Lewis heard gunfire, she was on the plaza having dinner with some friends.
She told The Associated Press, “It felt like two shots, and then it was rapid fire.”
A man yelled, “Help, help,” as he fled the building as the windows broke. I’m shot. “Said Lewis.”
Jessica Chen told ABC News that she heard many rounds fired rapidly from the first floor while she was on the second floor witnessing a presentation with dozens of other individuals.
She and a few others rushed into a conference room and blocked the door with tables.
She added that she texted her parents to express her love for them, saying, “We were honestly really, really scared.”
When they heard a huge explosion and saw people running, some financial employees from an office building across the street were getting dinner at a corner restaurant.
When Anna Smith joined the workers who were flooding back into the finance office building, she described it as “like a crowd panic.” After spending around two hours there, they were told they may depart.
As part of a program that allows businesses to engage NYPD police to provide security, Tisch says she thinks two cops were working in different areas of the building.
The shooting site is situated in a busy part of midtown, roughly a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a short stroll north of Grand Central Terminal.
This year, New York City is on track to have the fewest killings and gun-related injuries in decades by late July. However, since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated outside a hotel holding a conference last December, the city’s business sector has been on edge.
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of that murder, is still awaiting trial. He is accused by prosecutors of killing Thompson because he was upset about what they believe to be corporate greed, especially in the health insurance industry. He entered a not guilty plea.
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The list of offices at the Park Avenue building has been revised to exclude J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank. Their offices are no longer there.
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By Eric Tucker and Philip Marcelo, Associated Press
From Washington, Tucker reported. Contributions were made by Associated Press writers Ty O. Neil and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Ruth Brown and Jennifer Peltz in New York, and Mike Balsamo.
