Who Is Shane Tamura? What to Know About the Gunman in the NYC Shooting

Midtown Manhattan was plunged into panic on the evening of July 28, 2025, when a lone gunman entered a Park Avenue skyscraper and opened fire, killing four people and wounding another individual ... before the shooter died by suicide, ending the rampage.

The suspect in the incident was identified as Shane Tamura, who allegedly drove across the country in order to carry out the shocking attack.

We're going to take a look at the background of the gunman and see what led up to the violent incident.

Tamura spent his teenage years in Southern California, where he attended Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita before transferring to Granada Hills Charter High School.

The suspect joined the latter school's football team, and its former assistant coach, Walter Roby, described him to Fox 11 as "a quiet, hard worker" who led others through "his actions on the field."

One of Tamura's former classmates and teammates, Caleb Clarke, claimed the suspect was "a jokester" in high school and added he "never would have thought violence was something you’d associate with" the alleged suspect in their early years, according to NBC News.

Clarke said a future in athletics was "definitely on the table" for his former classmate, who had apparently become aware of his peers "telling him how great he was."

Tamura entered the security industry after leaving high school, and he later moved to Las Vegas, where he was employed in the surveillance department at the Horseshoe Hotel and Casino at the time he undertook his trip to NYC, according to ABC News.

The suspect had a concealed firearms permit, which was found at the scene of the shooting. It was issued in 2022, and it was set to expire in 2027.

He also received a private-investigator license in Nevada in 2019 -- although it eventually expired, according to CNN.

Tamura had two Mental Health Crisis Holds in Nevada in 2022 and 2024. The holds generally allow for an individual to be held for up to 72 hours if they're found to be a potential danger to themselves or other people.

Tamura's vehicle had been driven across the country prior to the mass shooting, and a BMW he exited in Manhattan was registered in his name in Nevada.

The car passed through Colorado on Saturday, July 26, made it to Iowa the following day ... and it was in Columbia, New Jersey just a few hours before the shootings.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated officials found a loaded revolver, ammunition, a rifle case with rounds, and multiple magazines in the vehicle, according to the New York Post.

In addition to the weapon and the ammunition, medication prescribed to Tamura was also found in the car.

Police found Tamura had a note on him claiming he'd been suffering from the effects of CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, according to the New York Post.

The disease is typically found in individuals with lengthy histories of repeated head impacts, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Tamura made a reference to former NFL player Terry Long, who was posthumously diagnosed with the condition after drinking antifreeze, in his note, where he also claimed the league "failed us."

Tamura alleged the NFL "knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits" despite having never played professional football at any point in the past.