Park Ave. gunman Shane Tamura bought the assault rifle he used to kill an NYPD cop and three civilians before taking his own life inside a Midtown Manhattan office building from a friend and co-worker for $1,400, police said Wednesday.
He bought the weapon from a man named Rick, who also sold Tamura the BMW he used to drive cross-country, cops said.
Rick, Tamura’s supervisor at the Horseshoe Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, purchased the AR M-4 assault-style rifle with a scope and a barrel flashlight attached, legally.
He then re-sold it to Tamura, who held it as his side as he walked across a plaza and into the lobby of the building of 345 Park Ave. about 6:30 p.m. Monday and opened fire, first killing Officer Didarul Islam, who was in his NYPD uniform working a paid security detail authorized by the department.
The gunman shot three civilians in the lobby, killing security guard Aland Etienne, 46, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, 43, and badly wounding an NFL employee before taking the elevator to the 33rd floor, where he killed 27-year-old Rudin employee Julia Hyman, and then took his own life.
Tamura had a valid concealed-carry weapon permit in Nevada that he received in June 2022, officials said. He used it to legally buy a Colt Python .357-caliber revolver that he purchased in a gun store on June 12, officials said.
Cops found the tripod for the assault rifle in his Las Vegas studio apartment, cops said.
Ty O’Neil/ The Associated Press
The residence of Shane Tamura (inset), identified as the gunman in the fatal shooting at a Manhattan office building in New York City, is seen on Monday, July 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Rick, who hung up on the Daily News when reached Tuesday, confessed to NYPD detectives that he sold him the rifle.
No criminal charges were immediately filed against him, cops said.
Originally Published: July 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM EDT
