A shooting at an office block in Midtown Manhattan on Monday claimed the lives of at least five individuals. The gunman killed himself, and among the dead was a New York City police officer who was not on duty.

The gunman, Shane Devon Tamura (27), wearing body armour and carrying a high-powered M4 rifle, entered the building and shot at the New York City police officer before spraying bullets in the lobby of the building. Tamura was a resident of Las Vegas and has a Nevada concealed carry permit, according to New York City police officials.

Tamura was thought to be the lone shooter in the incident, according to Commissioner Jessica Tisch of the New York Police Department. According to ABC News, police have not yet determined whether the shooting was connected in any way to any of the offices in the building that contains the National Football League’s and financial firm Blackstone’s headquarters. The building also housed the Irish consulate general’s office.

On the 33rd floor of the building, police discovered the gunman’s body with what they thought to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds. According to the New York Fire Department, at approximately 6:30 p.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to the Park Avenue office building in response to a report of a shooting.

An eyewitness told the news channel that she heard several shots fired from the first floor in rapid succession while she and dozens of other people were on the second floor watching a presentation. They rushed into a conference room and blocked the door with tables. The eyewitness said, “We were honestly really, really scared,” and she texted her parents to express her love for them.

According to Mayor Eric Adams, several persons were hurt. He shared a video on social media asking anyone remaining inside the office building to remain motionless as police searched the building floor by floor. According to the Democrat, he is going to the hospital to talk to the loved ones of those affected.

Lines of people leaving the office building with their hands raised over their heads were captured on local television. The structure houses Blackstone’s offices as well as the

The Democratic Party’s candidate for mayor of New York City, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, praised the efforts of first responders and denounced the incident. “I’m devastated to hear about the terrible shooting in Midtown, and I’m thinking of the victims, their loved ones, and the critically ill NYPD officer. He tweeted, “Thank you to all of our first responders on the ground.”

The shooting site is in a bustling part of midtown, roughly a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a short walk north of Grand Central Terminal.