New York City office shooting gunman Shane Tamura still maintained an active concealed-carry permit in Nevada, despite prior interactions with police and two 911 calls from his mother about suicide threats, CBS News New York has learned.
Could the 27-year-old have been stopped before his rampage in Midtown Manhattan last week? Video and audio just released by the Las Vegas Police Department of key moments shed some light on his life.
Incident at Las Vegas casino
Back on Sept. 27, 2023, Las Vegas police were called to Red Rock Casino. Tamura had won thousands of dollars, but while trying to collect his cash he refused to show identification or give his name. Video shows him taken to a security room, after he allegedly grabbed a security officer.
“I’m asking you, am I under arrest?” Tamura says on the video. “My name is Shane Tamura. Wait, am I under arrest?”
Minutes later, he was released.
“You guys can’t go in there and cash me out?” Tamura asks.
Video shows Tamura refusing to leave the property of the casino despite being asked to do so repeatedly. He’s then arrested for trespass and gets visibly emotional.
When asked why he wouldn’t leave, Tamura says, “I just have to make rent. Dude, they took like six grand from me.”
“‘I’m not going to be able to go any further'”
In August 2024, there was a 911 call involving Tamura’s mother. She was asked if her son told her how he wanted to hurt himself.
“No, he was just crying and said, ‘I’m not going to be able to go any further,'” she says.
“He’s been calm and cooperative with us,” an EMS officer tells Las Vegas police.
EMS and police were inside Tamura’s apartment in Las Vegas.
“The gun is there,” Tamura tells police, adding when asked if he has any other weapons, “No, sir.”
He’s then asked if he has a concealed-carry permit, to which he responds, “I do.”
Tamura peacefully agrees to go to a mental health facility for the second time in two years.
Tamura’s mother also told dispatch he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, and that he works nights and takes medication to sleep. She added he had a CCW permit and carried a gun in his backpack.
The gunman’s mother called 911 twice. Back in 2022, she told dispatch he suffered from chronic migraines and sports concussions, which is relevant because police say they believe he intended to target the National Football League during his rampage on Park Avenue.
Tamura played football in high school, but never played in the NFL. However, in a suicide note he appears to blame the league for alleged injuries to his brain.
CBS News New York reached to the NYPD to get an update on its investigation.
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