The brain of Manhattan mass shooter Shane Tamura, who believed he was suffering from CTE, will be studied as a part of his autopsy, a representative from New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Friday.
Tamura — who fatally shot four people Monday at a Midtown East office building that houses the headquarters of the NFL and other companies before taking his own life — said in a suicide note discovered on his body that he believed he suffered from CTE and requested his brain be studied.
CTE, which stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a debilitating neurological disease thought to be caused by repeated head injuries that is often found in athletes and military veterans. In recent years, the National Football League has come under increasing scrutiny as many former players have been posthumously diagnosed with CTE after exhibiting symptoms while alive. Telltale symptoms can include depression, memory loss, problems with thinking and reasoning, impulse control issues, mood swings, suicidal thoughts and potentially aggressive behavior, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
CTE can only be diagnosed after someone has died, by examining their brain. Brains affected by CTE typically show signs of atrophy, including less gray matter and more fluid, plus a buildup of abnormal proteins that kill off brain cells and are also associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2025 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.
The city’s OCME confirmed that an in-house expert will perform a neuropathology assessment on Tamura’s brain, as is typical. A spokesperson noted that such studies typically take a fairly long time, possibly weeks, before coming to a conclusion.
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