A suicide note left by the gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan skyscraper before shooting himself dead may provide insight into his motive.
US media reported on Tuesday that in a note found on his body, the 27-year-old expressed anger at the National Football League (NFL) over its handling of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma.
The NFL has its headquarters in the same high-rise office building where the attack occurred.
The suspect reportedly claimed in the note that he believed he had CTE and requested that his brain be examined after death. He also referenced the 2005 suicide of a former NFL player who had suffered from a brain disease.
The young man, described as a promising high school football player and exceptional athlete in his youth, had a history of mental illness, according to police.
According to police, the gunman entered the Manhattan building on Monday evening armed with an assault rifle and opened fire. He fatally shot four people, including a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer working as a security guard, before turning the weapon on himself.
The identities of the other three victims have not yet been publicly released. According to media reports, the NFL confirmed that one of its employees was seriously injured in the attack.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident as a "senseless act of violence."
Gunman drove cross-country from Las Vegas
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, surveillance footage showed the shooter exiting a vehicle on Park Avenue in central Manhattan and entering the building, which is located just minutes from Rockefeller Center.
Once inside, he fatally shot the police officer in the lobby, then targeted a woman who had taken cover behind a pillar and a second security guard stationed at the reception desk.
He then spared a woman who exited an elevator, allowing her to leave unharmed, before travelling to the 33rd floor, where he killed another person and ultimately took his own life. Several other people were injured in the attack.
Authorities say the suspect had driven to New York from Las Vegas.
His vehicle, registered in Nevada, contained multiple firearms, ammunition, and personal items. Investigators traced his journey across the United States, noting stops in Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and New Jersey in the days leading up to the shooting.
CTE: A disease diagnosed only after death
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a progressive, degenerative brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. It has been found in athletes such as boxers, football players, and rugby players.
The condition can only be definitively diagnosed postmortem through brain tissue analysis. While CTE is incurable, some symptoms can be managed through medication and non-pharmaceutical therapies.
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