Shane Tamura, the 27-year-old crazed gunman who killed an NYPD officer, a Blackstone executive and two others in a random shooting inside a Midtown skyscraper that houses many offices, carried a strange note in his pocket. The note can be called a suicide note or a manifesto that helped investigators understand the motive behind the shooting spree. While it looked like a random killing, the note contained clear grievances with the NFL. It said Tamura suffered from CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and he blamed football for this.
Why Terry Long ?
The note, running several pages, is addressed to Terry Long, the former Pittsburgh Steelers player who was diagnosed with CTE after downing antifreeze to kill himself 20 years ago.“Terry Long, football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” the note stated. “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” he wrote urging to study his brain after his death to learn more about CTE. “Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits,” he wrote. “They failed us.”From his manifesto, it seemed that his target was NFL office which was also in the same building. Mayor Eric Adams said that he probably landed on the wrong floor and killed a bunch of people he did not target. One NFL employee was, however, seriously injured in the shooting. Tamura, who worked as a security guard at a Las Vegas casino, never played professional football. According to reports, he only played in high school in California, where he was described as a standout football player.
What is CTE ?
CTE is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma, such as concussions or even sub-concussive hits (blows that don’t cause symptoms but still jolt the brain). CTE is most commonly found in football players, boxers, hockey players, military veterans. Terry Long, who played eight seasons as an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers, died by suicide via antifreeze poisoning in 2005. His death certificate cited suicide with football-related CTE as one of the contributors.
