Manhattan Shooter Was a Las Vegas Casino Surveillance Staffer

On Monday, two mass shootings scarred the United States. A man opened fire in the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, killing three and injuring three others, before he succumbed to his wounds on Thursday.

One of the Shooters Had a Job at a Prominent Las Vegas Casino

Another man, seemingly inspired by the first perpetrator, and thousands of miles away, decided to do the same, taking a gun to a Manhattan office tower where he killed people before taking his own life.

The second perpetrator, Shane Tamura, had just finished his shift at the Horseshoe Las Vegas on Sunday when he got into his car and then drove across the country. Tamura was part of the casino surveillance staff and was responsible for identifying threats.

However, on that faithful evening, he was compelled to drive to Manhattan and enter a skyscraper that houses the National Football League’s headquarters, opening fire on-site. Four people were killed, and an employee was wounded, while the perpetrator himself killed himself in the end.

His motives are not clear, as aren’t those of the first person who opened fire at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. The cases are seemingly unconnected, but the fact that one person showed up at a casino and shot up people outside of it, and the other was employed by a casino, is still a consequence that is worth noting.

Caesars Entertainment, which owns the Horseshoe where Tamura worked, confirmed that the man was indeed employed by the property, but did not clarify on various details that were requested by media publications, such as the Associated Press.

His History of Mental Illness May Not Have Been Known

Previously, Tamura held a state-issued license as a private security officer, which expired in December. He was also arrested at a casino in suburban Las Vegas and is said to have had a history of mental illness.

These facts raised questions as to how the man got the job in the first place, and especially a job tied to ensuring the safety of one of the most prominent gaming properties in Sin City. Why Tamura would then leave and drive to Manhattan still puzzles many.

He may not have gotten to his original target – the offices of the NFL, either, as investigators think Tamura intended to. He is also said to have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma.