NEW YORK (AP) — The gunman in the New York City office tower shooting that killed five had a ‘documented mental health history,’ but the motive is still unknown, police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
NEW YORK (AP) — A shooting at a midtown Manhattan office building on Monday left at least five people dead, including an off-duty New York City police officer, officials said.
Police identified the suspect as Shane Tamura, of Las Vegas, and said he fatally shot himself.
Another man was seriously injured and remains in critical condition, Mayor Eric Adams said. The suspect was also dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the mayor said.
The officer who was killed was a 36-year-old, who was an immigrant from Bangladesh and had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years.
“He died as he lived. A hero,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Surveillance video showed a man exiting a double parked BMW and carrying an M4 rifle before he walks toward the building. He immediately opened fire on the NYPD officer as he entered the building and shot a woman who tried to take cover and then began “spraying” the lobby with gunfire, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The man then made his way to the elevator bank and shot a security guard who was taking cover behind a security desk and shot another man in the lobby, the commissioner said.
Officers found a rifle case, a revolver, magazines and ammunition in his car, Tisch said.
Tisch said the gunman had “a documented mental health history. We are working to understand why he targeted this particular location.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said they are still “unraveling” what took place. “Five innocent people were shot” along with the perpetrator, he said.
"Tonight we mourn for all those who were killed,” Adams said at a news conference.
The Fire Department of New York said emergency crews were called to the Park Avenue office building around 6:30 p.m. for a report of someone shot. The building houses some of the country’s top financial firms and the National Football League.
Jessica Chen told ABC News she was watching a presentation with dozens of other people on the second floor when she “heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor.”
She and others ran into a conference room and barricaded tables against the door.
“We were honestly really, really scared,” she said, adding that she texted her parents to tell them that she loves them.
Mayor Eric Adams said multiple people were injured. He posted a clip to social media urging people still inside the office building to stay put because police officers were conducting a floor-by-floor search. The Democrat said he’s headed to the hospital to speak with the family and loved ones of those involved.
Local TV footage showed lines of people evacuating the office building with their hands above their heads. The building includes offices of Blackstone and the consulate general of Ireland.
Some finance workers at an office building down the block were picking up dinner at a corner eatery when they heard a loud noise and saw people running.
“It was like a crowd panic,” said Anna Smith, who joined the workers pouring back into the finance office building. They remained there for about two hours before being told they could leave.
The building where the shooting happened is in a busy area of midtown, located a short walk north from Grand Central Terminal and about a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The city’s emergency management alert system warned of traffic delays, road closures and disruptions to public transportation in the area.
Through late July, New York City is on pace to have its fewest murders and fewest people hurt by gunfire than any year in recent decades.
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This story has been updated to remove Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan from the list of offices at the Park Avenue building. Both no longer have offices there.
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Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo contributed from New York.
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