As reported by multiple media outlets, tragedy struck Manhattan when 27-year-old Shane Tamura stormed a glitzy high rise located on 345 Park Avenue with the intent to kill.
And, unfortunately, Tamura succeeded, killing several individuals, including an NYPD officer, before he turned the gun on himself.
Troublingly, the location of the shooting was hardly near any of the more volatile areas of the city. On the contrary, the shooting occurred where several highly educated people work, and the people targeted were also completely random.
Apparently, the shooter’s main target was individuals working in the NFL, though he had apparently gotten on the wrong elevator and ended up elsewhere. Nonetheless, the damage left behind was horrific.
Fox News notes that Tamura, a former high school football player, was enraged at the NFL for apparently causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a side effect from repeated hits to the head while playing football. The media network also notes that the gunman had a lengthy history of mental illness.
However, calls for gun control are likely to increase once again, with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker reportedlyalready signing two new gun control measures.
As detailed by The Hill, however, at least one Republican is not at all a fan of additional gun control messaging, much less public policy.
“On Capitol Hill, probably beginning in the morning, there’ll be the inevitable call by some of my colleagues for more gun control laws. We’ve got hundreds of gun control laws, maybe thousands … We don’t need more gun control, we need more idiot control,” Senator John Kennedy asserted on X.
Perhaps brusquely stated, though the senator does make a strong point about the decline of public intellect, which certainly does not bode well for public safety long term.
Especially when sensible prevention efforts have been eliminated in crime-ridden cities.
“The other thing that, frankly, New York’s going to have to face, is the issue of whether we should bring back more aggressive stop and frisk, which is a perfectly legal law enforcement tactic,” Kennedy added.
That particular practice may have not stopped this particular gunman, who seemed rather focused and determined, though it may certainly help address several other tragedies before they occurred.
The Hill notes that practice of stop and frisk officially ended under the leadership of former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio.
On top of that, the city passed a new law in 2024, which requires law enforcement officers to disclose the race of all individuals who they opt to stop for questioning.
In the meantime, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken out on the “unspeakable” tragedy.
“As has been widely reported, a gunman committed an unspeakable act of violence in our building at 345 Park Avenue. One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared,” Goodell grimly announced.
While the building was cleared, the aftermath and turmoil of the horrific event are hardly far from over, as evidenced by Kennedy’s remarks.
Author: Jane Jones
