The individual responsible for the fatal July shooting at a Midtown Manhattan office building was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a severe degenerative brain disease often associated with repeated head trauma from sports like football. This finding comes from the New York City medical examiner’s office.
CTE, a condition diagnosable solely after death, was confirmed in Shane Tamura, the gunman. He took his own life following the tragic rampage at 345 Park Avenue.
A statement from the medical examiner explicitly noted ‘unambiguous diagnostic evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as C.T.E., in the brain tissue’ of the deceased. These findings align with criteria for low-stage CTE, as per current scientific consensus.
Tamura, a former high school football player, died by suicide from a chest wound after killing four individuals. He left a note explicitly stating his anger at the National Football League, accusing the organization of concealing the devastating effects of CTE. He also requested that his brain be medically examined.
Police reports indicate that the 27-year-old Tamura traveled from his Las Vegas residence to Manhattan, specifically targeting the building that serves as the NFL’s headquarters.
The victims of the attack included Police Officer Didarul Islam; security guard Aland Etienne; Wesley LePatner, a senior executive at Blackstone; and Julia Hyman from Rudin Management. Additionally, NFL employee Craig Clementi was injured in the shooting.
Excerpts from Tamura’s note, released by police, further condemned the NFL, alleging that the league prioritized profits over player safety by hiding the inherent dangers of the sport.
Tamura’s family has chosen not to comment on these findings.
The revelation of Tamura’s brain condition reignites critical discussions about the potential long-term risks associated with playing tackle football, even when limited to youth levels.
In response, the NFL issued a statement expressing continued grief for the victims and solidarity with their families and employees. The league emphasized that ‘there is no justification for the horrific and senseless acts that took place,’ while acknowledging the medical examiner’s point that ‘the science around this condition continues to evolve, and the physical and mental manifestations of CTE remain under study.’
The Concussion Legacy Foundation, a key organization in CTE research, clarified that ‘the presence of a brain disease will never fully explain a person’s behavior, and CTE should not be seen as the cause of the tragedy.’
The foundation further urged youth and high school football organizations to ‘finally acknowledge that their football players are at risk for CTE, educate their coaches about CTE, and begin to take meaningful measures to prevent it.’
Over the last two decades, as numerous former athletes across football, boxing, and hockey have been diagnosed with CTE, public and scientific understanding of the disease and its symptoms has significantly advanced. Despite this, leaders in the NFL and other similar sports leagues have historically been reluctant to fully acknowledge the connection between their sports and brain trauma.
CTE characteristically impacts the superior frontal cortex, a brain region crucial for cognitive functions like working memory, abstract reasoning, and planning. It also frequently affects the amygdala, which is vital for emotional regulation, aggression, and anxiety. Typical symptoms of CTE include challenges with impulse and aggression control, varying degrees of dementia, pronounced mood swings, impaired judgment, and a generally disorganized demeanor.
Historically, most CTE diagnoses have been in former athletes who participated in contact sports, such as football, for 15 to 20 years, enduring countless head impacts. Researchers note a selection bias in these studies, as families often donate brains for examination due to the presence of symptoms in their loved ones.
With increasing awareness, families are now donating the brains of younger athletes, some of whom have also been diagnosed with CTE, though typically at lower stages of severity compared to older athletes. Shane Tamura, at 27, represents another case in this expanding group.
Regardless of age, scientists remain cautious about directly attributing specific actions, especially extreme acts like murder or suicide, solely to CTE, as numerous other contributing factors may be at play.
Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center and a leading researcher who has examined thousands of brains from athletes, soldiers, and other individuals exposed to brain trauma, emphasizes that much remains unknown about the direct link between CTE and violent, impulsive behaviors, underscoring the need for further study.
She recently stated that ‘damage to the frontal lobes can impair decision-making and judgment.’ Dr. McKee added, ‘It can also cause impulsivity and rage behaviors, so it’s possible that there’s some connection between brain injury and these behaviors.’
Prominent cases of former football players committing violent offenses have captured national attention, including Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end. Hernandez, who died by suicide in jail at age 27 after a murder conviction, was found to have a severe form of CTE, comparable to that seen in players decades older.
Similarly, Phillip Adams, who committed a mass shooting and then died by suicide in Rock Hill, S.C., in 2021, was found to have an ‘unusually severe’ form of CTE. He was 32 and had played six seasons in the NFL.
Some former NFL players who died by suicide, such as Dave Duerson, intentionally shot themselves in the chest to ensure their brains could be studied, with Duerson specifically requesting such examination in a note.
However, researchers caution that these highly publicized cases do not necessarily reflect the experiences of the wider population living with CTE.
Dr. Daniel H. Daneshvar, Chief of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, recently emphasized that a direct correlation between brain pathology and a specific violent act should not be made, as most individuals with CTE do not engage in such behaviors.
For a long time, CTE risk was thought to be confined to professional athletes in sports like football, rugby, or boxing who endured years of head impacts. However, recent diagnoses have shown CTE in younger athletes across various contact sports, even those who never played professionally or at the collegiate level.
A 2023 Boston University study investigated the brains of 152 contact-sport athletes who passed away before age 30 and whose families suspected brain disease. A significant portion, 63 individuals (over 40%), showed evidence of CTE. Most of these athletes had not played beyond high school or college, with 48 having played football.
Similar to older athletes, a tau protein, indicative of CTE, was present in specific brain regions of these young individuals. However, the tau concentration was lower than in older athletes, and their cognitive symptoms mirrored those of other young athletes without CTE. Researchers suggest this might imply that the reduced tau levels were not the sole cause of their symptoms, and other factors could have contributed.
Gil Rabinovici, a professor of neurology and radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, who is pioneering imaging techniques for diagnosing dementia and CTE in living patients, noted, ‘There’s less scientific understanding of what’s driving the symptoms in these younger players, and whether it’s related to brain trauma or perhaps other things.’ He emphasized the need to ‘look at other brain changes that are not tau related’ and urged caution in attributing behavior solely to brain findings.
Without a definitive test for CTE in living individuals, athletes, much like Tamura, may attribute their cognitive struggles to the disease. Dr. Rabinovici highlighted a survey of 4,180 former professional football players, where 34.4 percent self-identified as having CTE due to symptoms like headaches, cognitive impairment, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Tamura’s mother and New York police officials confirmed he was prescribed medication for anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. His suicide notes revealed a deep preoccupation with brain injuries, as he believed his mental health issues stemmed from playing football and sustaining repeated head impacts.
Dr. Rabinovici and his colleagues have been dedicated for years to developing a live diagnostic test for CTE. Promising avenues include blood tests and brain imaging capable of detecting the tau protein in targeted brain areas. He described progress on this solution as ‘slow and steady.’
Following years of public scrutiny and increasing evidence linking football to CTE, the NFL’s lead health and safety official finally acknowledged this connection in 2016. Since then, the league has encouraged children to move away from traditional tackle football, advocating for safer tackling techniques and promoting flag football.