Gunman passed through Warren County before Midtown Manhattan shooting that killed NYPD officer, 3 others
NEW YORK CITY — A gunman who killed four people — including an NYPD officer — during a shooting rampage inside a Midtown Manhattan office building on Sunday evening, July 28, had passed through Columbia in Warren County just hours earlier, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Monday press conference.
According to Tisch, 911 began receiving multiple calls about an active shooter at 345 Park Avenue near 52nd Street at 6:28 p.m. Surveillance footage showed the shooter exiting a double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue carrying an M4 rifle. He walked alone into the building and immediately opened fire in the lobby.
The gunman first shot an NYPD officer, then a woman taking cover behind a pillar. He continued firing through the lobby, shooting a security guard near the elevator bank and injuring another man. He then entered an elevator, allowed one woman to exit unharmed, and took the elevator to the 33rd floor, where he fatally shot another person before turning the weapon on himself.
In total, five people were shot — the officer and four civilians. Four victims, including the officer, died, and one civilian remains in critical but stable condition. Four others suffered minor injuries while trying to flee.
The gunman is believed to be Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas. His vehicle was traced cross-country: through Colorado on July 26, Nebraska and Iowa on July 27, and Columbia, Warren County, around 4:24 p.m. on July 28, just over two hours before the shooting.
Inside his BMW, police found a rifle case, a loaded revolver, ammunition, magazines, a backpack, and medication prescribed to Tamura. The NYPD Bomb Squad confirmed there were no explosives.
Commissioner Tisch emphasized, “We believe this to be a lone shooter and there is no longer an active threat to the public.”
Among the victims was Officer Didarul Islam, 36, a four-year NYPD veteran assigned to the 47th Precinct in the Bronx. He was married with two young children, and his wife is expecting their third. Officer Islam had been working a security detail at the building and was the first person shot.
The motive remains under investigation. Authorities said Tamura has a documented mental health history, and it is still unclear why he targeted the Park Avenue building, which houses tenants such as the NFL, Rudin Management, KPMG, and Blackstone.
