New York Flags Flown at Half-Staff After Fatal Mass Shooting

By

Get in touch with Chloe Mayer by emailing c.mayer@newsweek.com

Chloe Mayer

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

New York City will lower its flags to half-staff on Tuesday in honor of the victims of Monday’s shooting in Manhattan, a gesture set to be repeated across the entire state.

Four people were killed, including a police officer, and a fifth was wounded, when a gunman brandishing an assault rifle opened fire in a skyscraper in a bungled attempt to target the NFL, which has its headquarters in the building.

The Context

The mass shooting in Manhattan comes amid a spate of gun crimes across the United States that has sparked a fierce debate about gun control, left politicians unable to answer how to address the problem, and led to multiple countries issuing warnings to their citizens considering traveling to the U.S.

The Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings across the country, has calculated that there have been 253 mass shootings so far in 2025, just over halfway through the year.

What To Know

On Monday evening, suspect Shane Tamura, 27, entered 345 Park Avenue carrying an M4 rifle. He opened fire, killing NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who was working a corporate security detail, and a woman in the lobby. He then shot a guard at a security desk and another man. The shooter then took an elevator to the 33rd floor, which was occupied by Rudin Management, and killed another person before turning the gun on himself.

Tamura had a “documented mental health history,” according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. These included two Mental Health Crisis Holds in Nevada in 2022 and 2024, ABC News reported. He held a concealed carry permit issued in Nevada in 2022.

Reports later emerged suggesting Tamura had intended to target the NFL because he blamed them for his suffering from CTE, a degenerative brain condition that has been linked to repeated head injuries, such as those which can occur when playing contact sports.

However, Tamura never played for the NFL, although he had reportedly played football in high school.

What People Are Saying

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, on X: “As a mark of respect for the memory of NYPD Officer Didarul Islam who died in the line of duty and the multiple victims of the mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan at 345 Park Avenue yesterday, I’ve ordered all flags on all city buildings and stationary flagstaffs throughout the five boroughs to be lowered to half-staff until further notice.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, on X: “To honor NYPD Officer Didarul Islam and all those lost in the brutal, cowardly attack in Manhattan on Monday, July 28, I have directed State flags to be lowered to half-staff until further notice.”

Hochul said in a follow-up post: “4 lives stolen. An NYPD officer leaves behind a pregnant wife and 2 young sons. Because a gunman from a state with weak gun laws brought an AR-15 to New York. We once had a national assault weapons ban. It worked. Republicans in Congress must find the courage to pass it again.”

What Happens Next

The flags will remain at half-staff until Hochul and Adams declare otherwise.