Park Avenue gunman Shane Tamura, who killed an NYPD officer and three others before taking his own life in a midtown Manhattan office building, did — as he contended in a suicide note — suffer from the brain disease known as CTE, the Medical Examiner said Friday.
The examination of Tamura’s, brain “has found unambiguous diagnostic evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE,…” the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said in a statement.
“The findings correspond with the classification of low-stage CTE, according to current consensus criteria,” the statement 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.”
Tamura shocked the city July 28 when he walked into a Midtown office skyscraper at 345 Park Ave. toting an assault rifle and opened fire, police said.
Police said the gunman charged into the building’s lobby with an an M-4 rifle and then immediately opened fire.
Authorities believe Tamura was trying to target the NFL offices inside the high-rise but used the wrong elevator bank after wreaking havoc in the lobby. He again opened fire on the 33rd floor before he eventually turned the gun on himself, according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam was killed in the shooting alongside three civilians: Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, security officer Aland Etienne and Rudin employee Julia Hyman.
This a developing story; check back for udpates