A gunman who killed four people in a New York office block was trying to target the NFL headquarters but took the wrong lift, the city’s mayor has said.
Eric Adams said it’s believed he was trying to get to the NFL (National Football League) offices after shooting several people in the lobby.
Shane Tamura, from Las Vegas, accidentally entered the wrong set of lifts, the mayor said.
“We have reason to believe that he was focused on the NFL agency that was located in the building,” Mr Adams told MSNBC.
A police officer, Didarul Islam, was among those killed on Monday. He was married with two children and his wife was pregnant.
Sky’s partner network NBC News said a note was found in which the suspect expressed anger at his mental illness potentially being linked to him having played American football.
New York‘s police commissioner said yesterday he had a “documented mental health history”.
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The shooting happened at 345 Park Avenue – a skyscraper in Manhattan that also houses firms including investment company Blackstone and KPMG.
Blackstone said on Tuesday it was “heartbroken” to confirm one of its employees, Wesley LePatner, had died in the shooting.
“She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone,” said a statement.
The firm said she was married with children.
CCTV captured Tamura walking towards the building carrying an M4 rifle after getting out of a black BMW.
New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch said he entered the lobby, turned right and opened fire on the police officer.
“He then shoots a woman who took cover behind a pillar and proceeds through the lobby, spraying it with gunfire,” she told reporters on Monday.
“He makes his way to the elevator bank where he shoots a security guard who was taking cover behind a security desk.”
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Ms Tisch said Tamura then called for a lift which opened in the lobby.
“A female exits that elevator and he allows her to walk past him unharmed,” she said.
“He goes up to the 33rd floor… and begins to walk the floor firing rounds as he travelled. One person was struck and killed on that floor,” she continued.
The gunman then fatally shot himself in the chest.
