Topics: Crime, Mental Health, US News, World News, News
A gunman killed four people, including a police officer, and spared a woman in New York City on Monday evening (28 July), officials said.
The gunman, identified as Shane Tamura from Las Vegas, US, arrived at the Manhattan office tower on Monday evening and began firing a rifle.
He had a ‘documented mental health history,’ according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, but the motive for the horrific crime is still unknown.
The tragedy, which occurred at the end of the workday, unfolded in a skyscraper that’s home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment firms, as well as other tenants.
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Police have confirmed that, as well as the four casualties, a fifth man was also shot and is seriously injured, currently in a 'critical but stable condition'.
Surveillance footage showed Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6.30pm carrying an M4 rifle, before he then marched across a public plaza into the building.
Then he started firing. He killed a police officer working a corporate security detail. He then aimed for a woman who had tried to take cover as he sprayed the lobby with gunfire, which struck multiple people.
Tamura then made his way to the elevator bank and shot a guard at a security desk and another man in the lobby, the commissioner said.
He took the lift to the 33rd-floor offices of the company that owned the building, Rudin Management, but as he waited for the elevator, he reportedly 'spared' the life of one woman, who was exiting the elevator.
When she stepped out, the gunman let her pass before continuing his killing spree, Commissioner Tisch said (via the BBC).
Once he reached the floor, he shot and killed another person before shooting himself.
The police officer who was killed has been named as Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a police officer in New York City for three and a half years, Commissioner Tisch said at a news conference.
He was also a father of two young boys and had a third child on the way.
Speaking at the press conference, the commissioner said: “He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm’s way. He made the ultimate sacrifice. “He died as he lived. A hero.”
Meanwhile, the NYPD paid tribute to Islam on their social media pages, calling him the 'very best of our department'.
"He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today. We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honor his legacy." they continued.
Local TV footage showed lines of people evacuating the office building with their hands above their heads in the hours after the terrifying killings.
Nekeisha Lewis was eating dinner with friends on the plaza when she heard gunfire, telling The Associated Press (AP): “It felt like it was a quick two shots and then it was rapid fire.”
Meanwhile, 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’.
Mayor Eric Adams said that four others got minor injuries attempting to flee, and officials are still ‘unravelling’ what took place.
