The former high school football player who fatally shot a New York City police officer and three others was carrying a note in his wallet expressing concern that he was suffering from a brain disease linked to the sport.
The three-page note, according to a source with the New York Police Department, included an apology and indicated that the suspect, Shane Tamura, hoped investigators would study his brain for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
Police said Tamura shot himself in the chest after shooting five people — one of whom survived — at a Manhattan office building that houses NFL offices.
The NFL confirmed that one of its employees was wounded in the attack.
“One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack,” said Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, in a statement. “NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for.”
While investigators examine the shooter’s motives, a former coach who knew Tamura as a high school football player said he was a great athlete.
“He was one of our better players. He was athletically gifted. Hardworking. Quiet demeanor, real humble about himself,” said Walter Roby, who worked as a coach at Granada Hills Charter High School in California during the time Tamura played as a running back.
“For me, it was like he was very coachable,” said Roby. “You could ask him to do something. He would respond positively. He never gave an issue or never had a problem in that realm at all.”
Roby said he and his son had recently been reminiscing about the top players Roby had encountered during his career.
“His name popped up. (We were) saying, Oh yeah, Shane definitely has to be in that category because Shane would – you know – his elusiveness, the way he was able to cut on a dime, things of that nature," Roby said. "We were just going over and over it. And here it is two weeks later, this. As I always say, I don’t believe in coincidences, so was this put on my heart? Was this put on my prayers?”
Roby said he was completely shocked to learn the news about his former player.
“I went to bed just shocked all night long. It’s just been a whirlwind of shock,” he said. Roby said he could not remember any head injuries Tamura may have suffered, but he did say CTE is an important topic.
“I think that CTE is definitely very prevalent. It’s very — a part of what’s happening in society that should be studied deeply,” he said.
Numerous former NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE after their deaths. The disease is thought to be linked to repeated blows to the head and has also been connected by researchers with other contact sports and military service.
Scripps News obtained records showing Tamura, in 2023, had a run-in with Las Vegas Metropolitan police officers after an incident at a casino. According to a court record, police said Tamura was refusing to show his identification when trying to collect thousands of dollars in winnings, but he was also refusing to leave the building without collecting those winnings. Court records indicate the district attorney denied charging the case.
