Shooter kills NYPD officer, 3 civilians in Midtown office rampage before killing himself, police say

A gunman opened fire inside a Midtown Manhattan office building Monday evening, killing four people, including an NYPD officer, before killing himself, city officials said. A fifth victim was critically injured, police said.

Mayor Eric Adams identified the officer who was killed as Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, who served with the 47th Precinct. He was a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department and father of two, with a third child on the way, authorities said.

In a late-night press conference outside of NewYork-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center, police officials described the shooting, which shut down several blocks of Midtown Manhattan during Monday’s evening rush hour. They said the gunman acted alone and a motive was not yet clear.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooter opened fire inside 345 Park Ave., a commercial building that houses firms including Blackstone, KPMG, the National Football League and Rudin Management.

At around 6:28 p.m., the shooter exited a double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue between East 51st and 52nd streets, carrying an M4 rifle, Tisch said. Surveillance footage showed him entering the building and immediately shooting the police officer in the lobby, she said.

The gunman then fatally shot a woman taking cover behind a pillar, fired into the lobby and shot a security guard, authorities said. He then called an elevator, allowed a woman to walk past him unharmed and rode to the 33rd floor, home to Rudin Management, where he fatally shot another victim before shooting himself in the chest, Tisch said.

Officials identified the shooter as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, who had a Nevada address, Tisch said. He appeared to have driven across the country, entering New York City just hours before the attack, the commissioner said.

His car contained additional weapons, ammunition and prescription medicine, Tisch said.

Police said the suspect had a documented history of mental illness.

“This is a devastating night for our city, for our police department,” said Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association. “Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people, and one of our police officers who was protecting those people.”

Andrew Gude, who works across the street at 601 Lexington Ave., said he saw chaos unfold from his office window on the 18th floor.

“There were cops pulling up everywhere,” he told Gothamist at the scene. “You’re seeing people running out with backpacks. You just don’t know what the hell is going on. Where to go, where’s safe, where’s not.”

Gude said his office was placed under a shelter-in-place order for more than an hour as police secured the area.

Hera Rajavel, who also works in the same Lexington Avenue building, said she and her coworkers initially noticed a flurry of helicopters outside.

“We ran to the window to see where all the helicopters were going because they were all going in one direction,” she said. “Then, I look out the window and the entire street is filled with police officers.”

She later recorded a video from her window, showing people scattering on the street below.

“It just makes no sense that someone would shoot up a building at 7 p.m.,” she said. “We need to stay safe out here.”

The FBI confirmed its agents were also assisting at the scene.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi also said a command post had been set up by U.S. Attorney Jay Claytown of the Southern District of New York to assist with the response.

“No words can describe this act of evil,” Adams said at a press conference on Monday night. “We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence, including a member of the NYPD.”