 "'Pure evil came to New York': Who was Shane Devon Tamura, gunman behind Manhattan rampage?")
A horrific mass shooting rocked New York City on Tuesday. A gunman stormed into a high-rise office building in Midtown Manhattan, home to heavyweight firms like Blackstone, the National Football League, and KPMG, and opened fire, killing four people before turning the gun on himself.
The shooter, now identified as Shane Devon Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, acted alone, armed with an around $500 assault rifle, reports the New York Post. His motives remain under investigation.
The attack has left New Yorkers stunned, as many struggle to understand how such violence could erupt in the middle of one of the city’s most secure and high-profile commercial zones.
Who was this man? What led him to this point? And how did such a deadly tragedy unfold so quickly?
Here’s what we know so far.
New York shooting: What happened?
The violence began around 6:30 pm on Monday (local time), just as office workers were wrapping up their day and getting ready to head home.
That’s when a man, dressed in a bulletproof vest and carrying a long rifle, walked into a 44-storey office tower in Manhattan, just a few blocks away from Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center, and the Museum of Modern Art, and began shooting.
According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the gunman’s first target was a New York Police Department officer. He then shot a woman who had taken cover behind a pillar and continued through the lobby, where he fatally shot a security guard hiding behind the desk. Another man in the lobby was also gunned down.
After the initial attack, the shooter took an elevator to the 33rd floor, where he killed one more person before walking down the hallway and shooting himself in the chest.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAs the chaos unfolded, a building-wide alert rang out, “Shelter in place”, sending a wave of fear and confusion through the tower.
Syad Sakib, an office worker who spoke to AFP, said he was packing up for the day when the alarm sounded.
“Everyone was confused with like, ‘Wait, what’s going on?’ And then someone finally realised that it’s online, that someone walked in with a machine gun,” said Sakib, still in his grey suit jacket.
Photos circulating online show office workers in formal business attire barricading their doors with sofas and desks, stacking furniture high, almost to the ceiling. These images are doing the rounds on social media and couldn’t be independently verified by FirstPost.
This is how the employees in the Blackstone building barricaded themselves inside their offices while the shooter was active. pic.twitter.com/M7pMyWP9zJ
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) July 29, 2025
Another woman, leaving the scene shortly after the attack, told AFP, “I was in the building. He went floor by floor.”
In total, five people died in the attack, including the gunman. One person remains in critical condition, and several others suffered minor injuries during the panic.
At the press briefing, New York City’s police officers’ union, Patrick Henry, described Tamura as “pure evil” and said, “Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and a police officer who was protecting those civilians”
Who was Shane Tamura?
Shane Tamura has been identified as the 27-year-old gunman behind the deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting. Originally from Hawaii, Tamura later moved to Las Vegas, where he lived a relatively quiet life before this violent outburst.
He had reportedly worked as a security guard at a casino, and according to authorities, had no prior criminal record. However, authorities confirmed that he did have a documented history of mental health issues. While the specifics of his condition have not been publicly disclosed, it remains a key focus of the ongoing investigation.
A viral image of Tamura’s ID revealed that he held a concealed firearms permit, issued on June 14, 2022, valid for five years. He also reportedly carried an expired private investigator’s license. The weapon used in the attack was an AR-15–style assault rifle, said to have been legally purchased for about $500 in Nevada.
Manhattan shooter identified as Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas — multiple reports https://t.co/mrq0b93iFb pic.twitter.com/5BHrP7FgG9
— RT (@RT_com) July 29, 2025
Tamura arrived in New York City after driving cross-country, including Colorado, Colombia, before pulling up to 345 Park Avenue just hours before the shooting. A vehicle with Nevada plates registered to Tamura was found at the scene.
Inside the car, police recovered a rifle case, multiple rounds of ammunition, a loaded revolver, several magazines, a backpack, and medication prescribed to Tamura. The NYPD bomb squad searched the vehicle and found no explosives. However, they did retrieve a bloodied AR-15 rifle, believed to be the one used in the attack.
People who knew Tamura during his school years described him as energetic and cheerful. He once played football, and according to old footage from 2015, he had a deep passion for the game.
NEW details on would be KILLER Shane Tamura
— RT (@RT_com) July 29, 2025
2015 video shows the NYC shooter talking about football pic.twitter.com/g9ADVNUk4l
“You never would have thought violence was something you’d associate with him," Caleb Clarke, a former classmate and football teammate, told NBC News. “You know, he could make a joke about people, but that’s just typical. Shane was a jokester. Everything he said was a joke. He had a ton of energy.”
Another friend recalled him as “the biggest goofball in the world,” a class clown who brought humour and high spirits to the field and classroom.
Who are the victims?
The deadly attack at 345 Park Avenue claimed four lives, including that of an NYPD officer who had been working off-duty security at the building.
Officer Didarul Islam, 36, was fatally shot near the lobby as he tried to intervene during the chaos. Originally from Bangladesh, Islam had served with the NYPD for three and a half years and was widely respected by his colleagues.
He is survived by his pregnant wife and two young children.
“He loved this city and everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person,” said Mayor Eric Adams, paying tribute to the fallen officer during a press briefing.
Three civilians were also killed in the attack, though their names have not yet been publicly released. One person remains in critical condition.
With input from agencies
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