Midtown Manhattan mass shooting gunman had low-stage CTE, medical examiner finds

Shane Tamura, the gunman that killed 4 folks in July’s deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting, had low-stage CTE, officers stated Friday. 

New York’s Workplace of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed the outcomes Friday. 

“Following a radical evaluation and intensive evaluation by our neuropathology specialists, OCME has discovered unambiguous diagnostic proof of Continual Traumatic Encephalopathy, often known as CTE, within the mind tissue of the decedent. The findings correspond with the classification of low-stage CTE, in response to present consensus standards,” OCME stated in an announcement. 

Aland Etienne, Wesley LePatner, Julia Hyman and NYPD Det. Didraul Islam had been all killed within the July 28 taking pictures by Tamura, a 27-year-old former highschool soccer participant. Tamura shot himself within the chest after killing them. 

He left handwritten notes, repeatedly referencing CTE and writing, “Examine my mind please. I am sorry.”  

Although Tamura by no means performed within the NFL, investigators imagine he was targeting the NFL offices contained in the workplace constructing the place he killed 4 folks.

“The League knowingly hid the risks to our brains to maximise earnings,” Tamura wrote. 

The three-page notice present in Tamura’s pocket stated that he wished to have his mind donated to science so it may very well be researched, in response to regulation enforcement sources.

Tamura’s household beforehand stated he suffered from migraines and psychological sickness, in addition to a number of concussions. 

What’s CTE?

Continual traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a mind illness that’s commonest in athletes who play contact sports activities, resembling soccer gamers, ice hockey gamers and boxers. It’s a degenerative illness, occurring after repeated head accidents trigger cells within the mind to die.

Tamura’s remaining notice additionally included the title of Chris Nowinski, a number one CTE knowledgeable. CBS News New York’s Mahsa Saeidi recently spoke with him. 

“The probably place it reveals up in all people at first is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, so … behind the brow, mainly with the concept when your mind twists violently, that a part of your mind is shifting essentially the most,” Nowinski stated. “It’s killing you cell by cell. While you lose sufficient neurons in sure locations, you’ll change as an individual.” 

Nowinski stated, nonetheless, a CTE discovering wouldn’t clarify the taking pictures. 

“No matter’s in his mind isn’t going to be the rationale for what occurred. Human habits is much too advanced for that,” he stated.

Dr. Anne McKee, the director of the CTE Center at Boston University, stated whereas CTE is most talked about in skilled athletes, it has additionally been present in student-athletes.

Tamura performed highschool soccer in California in 2014, in response to articles from the Santa Clarita Valley Sign.

“Being a highschool soccer participant is definitely a chance for CTE,” Dr. McKee stated. “We’ve got a latest examine the place we discovered about 30% of former highschool gamers had CTE. Now that is a really choose group of individuals. It doesn’t suggest 30% of the final inhabitants of highschool soccer gamers have CTE, nevertheless it’s a definite chance.”  

She stated that CTE can happen with out somebody receiving a concussion, however quite, “It is the hits that do not trigger any signs, the hits that we contemplate minor hits that the participant performs proper by, asymptomatic hits, however these hits will be very substantial.” 

“Each time you meet a younger athlete, they do not perceive that CTE shouldn’t be concussions. It is quantity and energy of head impacts,” Nowinski stated.  

What are the signs of CTE?

Irritability, inattention, and behavioral adjustments resembling aggression or impulsivity are frequent first indicators of CTE, in response to Dr. McKee.  

The injury “often begins in small spots within the frontal lobes,” she defined. “However over time, with growing old, it begins affecting widespread areas of the mind and might trigger profound reminiscence loss and even dementia.”

Signs of CTE don’t usually seem proper after somebody receives a head harm, however quite develop as time goes on, in response to the Mayo Clinic. The hospital says extra signs of CTE can embody bother pondering and planning, temper adjustments, suicidal ideas and substance misuse. Sufferers can also have bother with stability and strolling, and should develop shaking and bother talking.

“We’ve got seen people with CTE which have had substantial breaks with actuality,” Dr. McKee added. “There’s priority the place a former soccer participant has a break of homicidal violence and this type of habits is clearly one thing we have to stop.”

CTE within the NFL

CTE has turn into extra talked about lately as extra circumstances of the illness are discovered in former NFL players. Aaron Hernandez, a former New England Patriots participant and convicted assassin, was recognized with stage 3 CTE after his loss of life. Dr. McKee stated on the time that he had one of the worst cases of the disease she had ever seen.

Former NFL participant and CBS Sports activities analyst Irv Cross was recognized with stage 4 CTE. His widow stated that on the time of his loss of life, he was seeing things.

The BU CTE Middle stated that out of 376 former NFL players it has tested, 345 had CTE. 

The NFL has made changes in recent years to prevent head injuries, including new rules and equipment.

“The NFL has positively made rule adjustments to the play of the sport that make the sport safer for the gamers, however they have not finished sufficient, and so they actually set the stage for all highschool and even faculty soccer gamers,” Dr. McKee stated.

The NFL released a message of support for the victims of the shooting and their families after the taking pictures. Up to now the NFL has not addressed Tamura’s CTE statements. 

“The NFL does acknowledge CTE and can inform you the 100 issues they’re doing to attempt to stop it,” Nowinski stated.

In 2024, the league introduced that it’s going to enable gamers to put on particular head safety referred to as Guardian Caps to offer extra safety towards head accidents. Guardian Caps are comfortable coverings that wrap across the NFL hard-shell helmets, lowering the affect from head accidents. 

The NFL additionally modified kickoffs to cut back full-speed tackles. However Dr. McKee stated she believes the group ought to be doing extra.

“They should do rather more than simply the helmet design, which isn’t going to stop CTE. It is actually guidelines of play and kinds of play, eliminating the hits to the top that happen in follow in addition to video games, being attentive to the gamers, monitoring the gamers for the variety of hits they’ve sustained and really maintain monitor of the gamers over time,” she stated.