A young police officer from Parkchester assigned to The Bronx’s 47th Precinct in the north of the borough was fatally shot, along with five other people including the gunman, during an active shooter incident that unfolded in Midtown Manhattan on Monday evening, July 28, at around 6.30 p.m. the NYPD said. Four other people died during the incident, including the gunman, who reportedly shot himself, and one remains in critical but stable condition in hospital, they added.

 

The incident follows news, as reported, that as part of a separate investigation, a convicted felon was further convicted on Thursday, July 24, of walking into a federal courthouse with 18 rounds of ammunition last April.

 

According to the NYPD, Det. First Grade Didarul Islam, 36, [posthumously promoted from police officer] a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the NYPD, husband, and father of two, with another baby on the way, was gunned down inside a commercial high rise building located at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The 47th Precinct covers the neighborhoods of Woodlawn, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Baychester, Edenwald, Olinville, and Fishbay. The officer had been on a private, uniformed police assignment in Manhattan at the time of the shooting, police said.

 

The building reportedly houses the offices of Blackstone Inc., an investment management company founded by Stephen A. Schwarzman, and Peter G. Peterson. The building also houses the offices of the NFL, Rudin Management, and KPMG. On Tuesday morning, the NY Post, citing police sources, reported the shooter, Shane Tamura, a reported high school athlete, seemingly had a grievance with the NFL relating to brain injuries according to a note found in his pocket.

Meanwhile, as a mark of respect for Islam, New York City Mayor Eric Adams ordered all flags on all city buildings and stationary flagstaffs throughout the five boroughs to be lowered to half-staff until further notice and the NYPD has shared a crowdfunding link set-up to support Islam’s family, which can be accessed here.

 

During a press conference held at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Midtown Manhattan later on Monday night, Adams was joined by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, senior members of the NYPD, the FBI, and others.

 

Referring to the grief suffered by Islam’s family, Adams said he was reminded once again of the young NYPD Detectives Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera who were shot and killed responding to a domestic violence incident in Harlem in January 2022 at the beginning of the mayor’s first term.

The mayor had also recently made reference to the two officers in the context of a separate press conference held following the shooting of an off-duty CBP agent in Manhattan on Saturday, July 19.

 

“This never gets easy” Adams said. “We’re still unraveling what took place,” he added in part. “Our hearts are heaving… five innocent people shot tonight. We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence, including a member of the NYPD Police, Officer Islam. He was doing what he does best, and [that which] all members of the police department carry out, He was saving lives, he was protecting New Yorkers.”

 

The mayor described Islam as an immigrant from Bangladesh who loved New York City. “Everybody we spoke with stated he was a person of faith, and a person who believed in God, and a person who believed in living out the life of a Godly person,” Adams said. “He embodies what this city is all about. He was a true blue New Yorker, not only in the uniform he wore, but in his spirit, and energy of loving this city.”

 

The mayor said he had earlier met with the officer’s family and had told them Islam was a hero and “we admire him for putting his life on the line.” Of Islam’s father, Adams added in part, “This was his dad’s only son.” His voice appearing to break at times, referring to his own son, the mayor continued, saying, “I think about Jordan, my child, and it is unimaginable to experience a loss of this magnitude.”

He continued, “Three other innocent civilians are also dead,” adding that two were male and one female. [This was later revised to two female and one male, including one security guard.] He said, additionally, another man remained seriously injured and was “fighting for his life in critical condition because of the violent, despicable attack.” Adams continued in part, saying, “Additionally, the shooter is also dead, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

 

The mayor added, “No words can describe this act of evil, a man who takes the life of others who are innocent, and no words can fill the void that has been left by this tragedy. Our hearts break for the families and friends of the victims, and we pray for the swift and safe recovery of the injured. The horrific crime reminds us all how easy it is to gain access to a gun.”

 

Adams went on to speak about how gun violence has devastated too many families and neighbors across the country. “We will continue to do all we can to protect our city, but tonight we mourn for those who were killed and we pray for the families as they go through this painful moment.” He added, “We continue to do what we do as a city and that’s fight to protect innocent New Yorkers.”

 

Tisch later said police started to receive multiple 911 calls at around 6.28 p.m. on Monday for an active shooter inside 345 Park Avenue at 52nd Street. She said what happened next was still under investigation, details were still coming in, but shared what was known to date, saying surveillance video showed a man exiting a double-parked, Black BMW alone on Park Avenue, between East 51st and 52nd Streets, carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand.

She said the man entered the building, turned right and immediately opened fire on an NYPD officer. “He then shoots a woman who took cover behind a pillar and proceeds through the lobby spraying it with gunfire,” Tisch said. “He makes his way to the elevator bank where he shoots a security guard who was taking cover behind the security desk. One additional male was shot in the lobby per his own statement from the hospital.”

 

She continued, “The shooter then calls the elevator which opens in the lobby. A female exits that elevator and he allows her to walk past him unharmed. He goes up to the 33rd floor which is Rudin Management and begins to walk the floor, firing rounds as he traveled. One person was struck and killed on that floor.”  She added, “He then proceeds down a hallway and shoots himself in the chest.”

 

Tisch said the shooter was believed to be Shane Tamura, 27, with a Las Vegas address and a vehicle registered in Nevada in his name. “Inside that vehicle, officers found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, a backpack, and medication prescribed to Mr. Tamura,” she said.

She went on to say that the suspect’s vehicle was searched by the NYPD bomb squad and was found clear of any explosives. “The initial investigation shows that Mr. Tamura’s vehicle traveled across the country, through Colorado on July 26th, then Nebraska and Iowa on July 27th, and then in Columbia, NJ as recently as 4.24 p.m. today. The vehicle entered New York City shortly thereafter.”

 

Tisch continued, “According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history. His motives are still under investigation and we are working to understand why he targeted this particular location.”

 

She said both Islam and the sole survivor of the shooting were brought to New York Presbyterian Hospital, and one male civilian and one female civilian were brought to Bellevue hospital. She said a further female civilian was found deceased on the 33rd floor. She said the victims’ names were being withheld pending family notification and four other surviving victims were being treated for minor injuries sustained in their attempts to flee the scene.

“We believe this to be a lone shooter and there is no longer and active threat to the public,” she said, adding that the bomb squad had conducted a second sweep of the building. Referring to Islam’s role as a police officer, she said in part, “He put himself in harm’s way. He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city.” The NYPD’s motto is “Fidelis ad mortem” which is Latin for “Faithful unto death.”

 

Tisch continued in part, “He died as he lived, a hero. I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother.” Seeming emotional at times yet composed, she added, “There are still many questions to answer, and we will answer them but for now, our city is in mourning for the innocent lives lost. May their memories be a blessing.”

 

Patrick Hendry, president of the NYC Police Benevolent Association (PBA) later said it had been a devastating night for the city and the police department. “Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and one of our police officers who was protecting those people,” he said.

Of Islam, he said, “He was a hard-working police officer who was proud, we know, I’m hearing from his family, to put on that uniform and shield of a New York City police officer.” Hendry said Islam did whatever he had to do to provide for his family, including overtime, and said his family were devastated. He said the NYPD would come together to support the families of the victims because that was their role, along with continuing to protect New Yorkers.

 

“Police officers are willing to risk their own lives to protect everyone in this room, and protect everyone in this city,” he said. “We ask all New Yorkers to pray for our police officer’s family, to pray for all the victims and their families, and we need to stand united going forward. We thank you for covering this story.”

 

Chris Rhea from the FBI later extended his “deepest condolences” to the victims’ families and offered his full support to the City’s mayor and police commissioner with the investigation which he confirmed was being led by the NYPD. He said initial checks of the FBI’s system had not revealed any information about Tamura and added that if any new information became available, he would share it.

In response to a question about how many people were on each floor at the time of the shooting, Adams said the video was still being reviewed and that this was still under investigation. In response to another question, Tisch explained that Islam, along with another officer, had been working on a paid assignment (detail) in different parts of the building. She explained that paid detail was a program the NYPD had had that allows companies to hire officers in uniform to provide extra uniform security.

 

Asked about any potential manifesto the shooter may have shared to indicate the rationale for the shooting, Tisch said it was too early in the investigation to share anything in that regard. She confirmed that he did have a gun license in the State of Nevada.

 

Islam became a police officer on Dec. 29, 2021 and was assigned to the 47th Precinct in December 2022. He had accumulated 26 felony arrests, one infraction, and 45 misdemeanor arrests during his tenure. As above, he was posthumously promoted to detective first grade at his funeral on July 31.

 

In addition to the completion of a long list of training sessions covering various different topics, the young officer had recently completed training on tactical awareness and officer safety on July 23, and separately, active shooter (school response protocol) training on Jan. 30.

 

Adams, Tisch and others gathered for a vigil in Bryant Pak in Manhattan on Tuesday night, July 29, to remember the victims of the shooting, and on Wednesday morning, July 30, the mayor and Tisch gathered with police at the 47th Precinct for the morning roll call as part of a closed press event.

 

A brief video of the crime scene, as seen late on Monday night, can be viewed here. Funeral details for Islam are attached below.

Help is available for anyone dealing with mental health issues. Read our recent health check here. For immediate mental health support in New York City, anyone can contact NYC Well 24/7 by calling 888-NYC-WELL (692-9355), texting “WELL” to 65173, or visiting NYC.gov for online chat. For crisis situations, dialing 988 connects individuals to free, confidential crisis counseling and support. 

 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.

 

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story referred to Tamura as a college athlete rather than a high school athlete. This has since been corrected. We apologize for the error.