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Gunman in deadly NFL office shooting had 'low-stage' CTE, medical examiner says
By Jackson Thompson
Published September 26, 2025
The man who opened fire and killed four people at the NFL's New York City office in July had "unambiguous diagnostic evidence" of low-stage CTE, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Friday.
"Following a thorough assessment and extensive analysis by our neuropathology experts, OCME has found unambiguous diagnostic evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, in the brain tissue of the decedent. 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."
A medical examiner’s spokesperson said, "We’re unable — as I don’t think science would be able to at all at this point — to say what role CTE played in that particular incident, causing that incident," she said.
"We’re not saying that CTE is the cause of what happened at the Park Avenue shooting."
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NYC shooter Shane Tamura detained in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Police Department)
The NFL has provided a statement addressing the revelation, to Fox News Digital.
"We continue to grieve the senseless loss of lives, and our hearts remain with the victims’ families and our dedicated employees. There is no justification for the horrific acts that took place. As the medical examiner notes, ‘the science around this condition continues to evolve, and the physical and mental manifestations of CTE remain under study,’" the statement read.
Shortly after the July shooting, police found a note in Tamura’s pocket that claimed he had a traumatic brain injury and blamed the NFL for "concealing the dangers to players’ brains to maximize profits."
The note went on to read, "Study my brain please. I'm sorry."
Tamura died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The examiner’s office previously said Tamura died by suicide of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The pathologists at the time did not say whether CTE played a role.
NFL ADVISES TEAMS TO ENHANCE SECURITY AFTER DEADLY MIDTOWN OFFICE SHOOTING: REPORT
A split image showing Shane Tamura as a football player in high school next to security footage. (NY Post; Fox News)
The deceased victims were identified as 36-year-old NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who was off-duty working security in the building, Wesley LePatner, 43, a married mother of two who was shot in the building’s lobby, real estate firm worker Julia Hyman, 27, and security guard Aland Etienne.
An NFL employee was also shot in the lobby.
Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, was trying to get to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the building’s lobby, then another in a 33rd-floor office.
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Shane Tamura Las Vegas traffic stop (Las Vegas Police Department)
The NFL has since increased security at its offices, NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller confirmed in August.
"We're very lucky that our security chief, Cathy Lanier, the former police chief in Washington, D.C., has tremendous experience in this space and that we have terrific partners in the building as we look for ways to make it even more secure than it was before."
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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/gunman-deadly-nfl-office-shooting-had-low-stage-cte-medical-examiner-says