On July 28, 2025 three civilians and one police officer were killed by a gunman at 345 Park Avenue, a New York City skyscraper that houses several firms and businesses, including the National Football League.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, allegedly shot and killed four people and wounded an NFL employee before fatally shooting himself.
Investigators later determined Tamura was targeting the NFL’s offices but “appeared to have gone to the wrong floor” of the 44-story building.
Tamura was carrying a note referencing the NFL and claiming he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Tamura’s claim following an autopsy on Sept, 26.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that Tamura played high school football and had a documented mental health history, but the details of his playing career were not immediately known. In the time since, more has been uncovered about Tamura’s playing career in Southern California, with former teammates and coaches responding to the situation.
Here is what is known about Tamura’s playing career and his posthumous CTE diagnosis.
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Shane Tamura football career
Tamura played football throughout high school.
He was a running back, cornerback, and free safety, according to a Hudl profile that contains highlights from his time at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, Calif. As a senior, Tamura played at Granada Hills Charter in Los Angeles.
Tamura had 126 carries, 600 rushing yards, and five touchdowns during his senior season, according to MaxPreps. There is footage of an interview following a game in which Tamura scored “a couple of touchdowns.”
At Granada Hills, Tamura was coached by Walter Roby. In the aftermath of the shooting, Roby offered a comment on Tamura to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
“Shane was very quiet. He was a quiet, hard worker. He was coachable. So whatever we asked him to do, he was doing it. He led by, you know, his actions on the field. He was our, you know, one of my top offensive players at the time. … Could I have done more? Could I help the kid? Could I have reached out to him or could you reach out to me? It’s just a lot of things I’m trying to process right now.”
Shane Tamura high school
Tamura attended Golden Valley High School for three years before finishing at Granada Hills Charter in Los Angeles. He graduated from Granada Hills in 2016.
Did Shane Tamura play college football?
There is no known information about Tamura playing football beyond high school.
Did Shane Tamura play in the NFL?
Tamura did not play football professionally.
While he did not play in the NFL, Tamura mentioned the league in a three-page note found after the shooting. In his note, Tamura wrote, “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.
“Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us.”
Tamura’s note also mentions deceased NFL player Terry Long, who died by suicide and was later found to have CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Shane Tamura CTE
On September 26, it was announced that Tamura had CTE.
BREAKING: Shane Tamura, who drove cross-country from Las Vegas and opened fire at the New York City headquarters of the NFL, killing four, had CTE, according to the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office. confirming what was in the shooter’s own writings. https://t.co/aDuJxGXVrz pic.twitter.com/kmJhcbfd5N
— ABC News (@ABC) September 26, 2025
Tamura drove cross-country from Las Vegas to New York before killing four people at the NFL headquarters.
In the investigation, police found a three-page note in Tamura’s pocket claiming he had a traumatic brain injury. He also blamed the NFL for “concealing the dangers to players’ brains to maximize profits.”
Tamura also wrote, “Study my brain please. I’m sorry.”
The findings correspond with the classification of low-stage CTE, according to current consensus criteria,” the medical examiner’s office said. “CTE may be found in the brains of decedents with a history of repeated exposure to head trauma. The science around this condition continues to evolve, and the physical and mental manifestations of CTE remain under study.”
