New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified 27-year-old Shane Tamura as the alleged shooter involved in the mass killing of four people, including a four-year veteran New York Police Department officer, on Monday.
The first 911 calls came in around 6:28 p.m. about a shooter inside the 44-story building on 52nd Street in Manhattan. Tisch said during a press conference on Monday evening that surveillance footage shows a male exiting a “double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand.”
The footage then shows the man walking alone toward the building entrance before immediately opening fire on the NYPD officer first in the lobby.
“The shooter is believed to be Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old male with a Las Vegas address. The vehicle he exited is registered in Nevada to Mr. Tamura. Inside of that vehicle, officers found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, a backpack and medication prescribed to Mr. Tamura,” Tish said.
“The vehicle was searched by our bomb squad and found to be clear of any explosives. The initial investigation shows that Mr. Tamora’s vehicle traveled cross-country through Colorado on July 26th, then Nebraska and Iowa on July 27th and then in Columbia, N.J. as recently as 4.24 p.m. today,” Tisch added. “The vehicle entered New York City shortly thereafter.”
Following his entrance into the building, Tamura then allegedly shot a woman who had taken cover behind a pillar while “spraying” the lobby with gunfire, according to officials. Making his way to the elevator bank, he reportedly shot a security guard who had taken cover behind his desk and another male victim.
Tamura then allowed a woman to exit the elevator unharmed before taking it up to the 33rd floor, which houses “routine management.” Officials say he fired rounds as he moved through the floor, striking a fifth person before shooting himself in the chest, Tisch said.
Officials said that four of the five victims in the attack have died, with one male civilian transported to NewYork-Presbyterian as the lone survivor. Among the civilians killed, one was male and two were female, all of whom were taken to Bellevue Hospital.
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While the identities of the four deceased civilians were not confirmed by officials and are pending family notification, officials did confirm that the slain NYPD officer was 36-year-old Didarul Islam.
Islam, a four-year NYPD veteran, was married with two young boys and a third child on the way.
“He’s assigned to the 47 precinct in the Bronx. He was doing the job that we asked him to do,” Tisch said. “He put himself in harm’s way. 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.”
“I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother. There are still many questions that we have to answer, and we will answer them. But for now, our city is in mourning for the innocent lives lost. May their memories be a blessing,” Tisch said.
The lone survivor is in critical but stable condition, along with four other victims being treated for minor injuries, Tisch said.
While a motive has not been released, Las Vegas authorities told New York officials that Tamura had a documented mental health history. Tisch confirmed the 27-year-old had a gun permit registered in Nevada.
