Editor’s note: USA TODAY is continuing coverage of the Midtown Manhattan shooting on Tuesday, July 29. Read the latest updates.
NEW YORK CITY – A gunman charged into a prominent Midtown Manhattan skyscraper during rush hour and fatally shot at least four people, including a New York city police officer, before killing himself, authorities said July 28.
Police received multiple reports of an active shooter inside 345 Park Ave., a building that houses the NFL headquarters and offices of major financial firms, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. Surveillance footage showed a man exiting a vehicle outside before entering the building with an M4 rifle.
The suspect immediately opened fire at an NYPD officer who was working a paid detail at the building, which allows private companies to hire officers for security, according to Tisch. He then shot a woman who “took cover behind a pillar and proceeds through the lobby, spraying it with gunfire,” the police commissioner said.
The suspect also shot a security guard who was behind a security desk and another man in the lobby, Tisch added. The gunman then entered the building’s elevator and went up to the 33rd floor, where the building’s owner, Rudin Management, is located.
“(The suspect) begins to walk the floor, firing rounds as he traveled,” Tisch said. “One person was struck and killed on that floor. He then proceeds down a hallway and shoots himself in the chest.”
The alleged gunman was identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, of Nevada. Police said the motive for the shooting remains under investigation and investigators are working to understand why the suspect targeted the commercial building.
A total of five victims were shot, including NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, and four civilians, according to Tisch. Mayor Eric Adams said two men and a woman were killed while another man was seriously injured in the shooting.
Four other victims were also treated for minor injuries they sustained while attempting to flee from the scene, the police commissioner added. The identities of the victims were being withheld, pending family notification.
“We believe this to be a lone shooter and there is no longer an active threat to the public,” Tisch said.
Christopher Raia, FBI assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office, said the bureau is standing by to help NYPD if needed in the investigation.
NYPD officer remembered as the ‘best of our city’
Mark Levine, the borough president of Manhattan, called the slain officer the best of our city.” Levine wrote on X that Islam was an immigrant from Bangladesh and is survived by his two young sons and wife who is expecting their third child.
“He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm’s way,” Tisch said. “He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city. He died as he lived, a hero.”
Islam had been working with the NYPD for four years and was assigned to the 47th Precinct in the borough of Bronx, according to Tisch.
At the news conference, Adams said he met with Islam’s family and told them that that “he was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line.”
“He’s an immigrant from Bangladesh, and he loved this city,” Adams said. “He embodies what this city is all about. He’s a true blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore, but in his spirit and energy of loving this city.”
Suspect has a ‘documented mental health history’
A vehicle that was double parked outside of the Park Avenue building was registered under Tamura’s name in the state of Nevada, according to Tisch.
Inside the vehicle, Tisch said officers discovered a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition, magazines, a backpack and medication prescribed to Tamura. The police commissioner added that the vehicle was also searched by the NYPD bomb squad and was found to be clear of any explosives.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect’s vehicle had traveled across the country through Colorado on July 26, and Nebraska and Iowa on July 27, according to Tisch. The vehicle was also tracked in Columbia, New Jersey at 4:24 p.m. on July 28 before entering New York City.
“According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history,” Tisch said.
Reports of active shooting incident prompts large police response
The shooting happened at 345 Park Ave, Adams confirmed in a video statement on X. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is at the scene of shooting, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The interim U.S. Attorney for the district, Jay Clayton, “has set up a command post to assist with the shooting in New York City and local FBI agents are on the scene,” Bondi said on X.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a social media post shortly after 7 p.m. ET that bureau personnel and agents are “responding to provide support at the active crime scene in Manhattan.” The New York City Police Department advised the public to avoid the area of East 52 Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue due to police activity.
Earlier, Adams urged people to “take proper safety precautions” and warned people to not go outside if they are near the scene. The mayor said at the time that there was an active shooter investigation occurring in Midtown, a busy neighborhood home to numerous attractions and landmarks such as Times Square and the Empire State Building.
“Expect emergency vehicles & delays in the surrounding area,” the NYPD said in a social media post.
Tisch said in a post on X at 7:52 p.m. that the gunman was no longer a threat. “At this time, the scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized,” Tisch said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X that she was briefed about the situation in Midtown Manhattan. She asked residents and visitors to avoid the area near the incident, including 52nd Street, Park Avenue and Third Avenue.
Where is 345 Park Ave? What to know about site of Midtown Manhattan shooting
New York officials react to shooting
Leaders from New York responded to the shooting on July 28, offering prayers and condolences for those impacted by the incident.
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said he was “grateful” to first responders on the scene in a statement on X.
“I’m heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts,” the statement reads.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X that he was “deeply disturbed by the horrific shooting in Midtown Manhattan.”
“Praying hard for the brave NYPD officer impacted and all other victims of this tragedy,” Jeffries wrote.
Rep. Ritchie Torres said the suspect critically injured three people, including a police officer, at Blackstone’s headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Police have not provided additional information on the shooting and number of victims.
“This shocking act of terror is a grim reminder of the persistent danger posed by firearms, the hardening of hatred in our society, and the exceptional courage of the NYPD officers who risk their lives in order to protect the rest of us,” Torres said on X.
Family members wait for loved ones
Hours after the shooting, several Manhattan blocks were still closed by police. The area is heavily marked by business offices and hotels. It’s steps away from several major tourist destinations, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trump Tower.
Behind NYPD barricades, Armand Bramellari, 36, waited hours for his mom, a cleaner in the building, to be let out.
She was on the second floor when the shooting happened, he said. After seeing news of the shooting on X, he rushed over to pick her up, parking on a side street, he told USA TODAY.
Bramellari wondered how the shooter accessed the building, which normally requires a badge or access by security.“This . . . doesn’t happen,” he said, holding a pack of Marlboro Reds.
His family, originally from Albania, arrived thanks to his mom getting a lottery slot to enter the United States, he said. “She brought us here, and she’s got to die at work?”
Moments later, his mom finally appeared with a group of women. He passed an NYPD barricade and embraced her and the others before they went down a side street to his car.
Around them, people walked on open streets as police officers stood about, occasionally ushering bike delivery workers to take alternate routes.
Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gunman kills four, including cop at Manhattan skyscraper