New York Governor, Kathy Hochul has called for Congress to pass a national assault weapons ban following yesterday’s shooting in Manhattan which killed four people.
In a statement, Hochul noted that the suspect used an AR-15-style assault rifle, a commonly used weapon in mass shootings in the US.
She pointed out that New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, saying, “We banned assault weapons. We strengthened our Red Flag Law. We closed dangerous loopholes.”
However, she added that New York laws “only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder.”
“The time to act is now. The American people are tired of thoughts and prayers. They deserve action. Congress must summon the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and finally pass a national assault weapons ban before more innocent lives are stolen.”
Kathy Hochul
Hochul also condemned the shooting as a “horrific act of violence” and paid tribute to NYPD officer, Didarul Islam. “My heart is with his loved ones, his NYPD family and every victim of this tragedy,” Hochul said.
The shooter, Shane Tamura, appeared to have driven to New York City from Las Vegas over three days and to have acted alone, New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters last night.
He entered the skyscraper’s lobby, turned to his right and immediately shot the NYPD officer, Didarul Islam, who was assigned to the building’s security detail.
Didarul Islam is an immigrant from Bangladesh and a father of two whose wife is pregnant. He was working off-hours as a security guard at the time. New York Mayor, Eric Adams described him as a “true blue hero.”
Adams disclosed that the gunman who opened fire in a Manhattan office building left a note that appeared to blame the National Football League for a brain injury.
The suspect, Shane Tamura, 27, brought the carnage to an end not long after it began on Monday evening by fatally shooting himself in the chest on the 33rd floor of the Park Avenue skyscraper. The building houses NFL headquarters.
Adams said that the preliminary investigation shows that the gunman took the wrong elevator bank and, instead of getting to NFL headquarters, ended up at Rudin Management, which owns the building at 345 Park Avenue. “That is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees,” Adams stated.
Adams noted that a security staffer remained hospitalized in critical condition. The gunman shot a woman in the lobby, then a security guard who was hiding behind the counter, he said.
Four people, including the NYPD officer– and a Blackstone real estate executive, were killed.
In what Adams called an “uncanny episode,” the gunman allowed a woman to walk past him without shooting before taking the elevator up to Rudin and discharging multiple rounds there.
Blackstone released a statement identifying the executive as Wesley LePatner. “Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” the statement read.
Trump Condemns ‘Senseless Act Of Violence’
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, condemned the “senseless act of violence” in which four people were killed in the Manhattan office shooting.
“I have been briefed on the tragic shooting that took place in Manhattan, a place that I know and love. I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence.”
Donald Trump
He added that his heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, “who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The US President will return to the US from Scotland tonight.
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