NYC Gunman Targeting NFL HQ Found to Have CTE, Medical Examiner Says

New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner announced Friday that the gunman who killed four people in July while attempting to target the NFL headquarters had low-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

The OCME said it found unambiguous diagnostic evidence of low-stage CTE in the gunman’s brain tissue and noted that "CTE may be found in the brains of decedents with a history of repeated exposure to head trauma." The agency added that the science around the condition continues to evolve and that the physical and mental manifestations of CTE remain under study.

The shooting occurred July 28 at an office tower near Park Avenue in Manhattan. The gunman, a 27-year-old former high school football player who never played in the NFL, killed four people — Aland Etienne, Julia Hyman, NYPD Officer Didraul Islam, and Wesley LePatner — before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An NFL employee was wounded in the attack. Officials said the shooter intended to target NFL headquarters but entered the building via the wrong elevator.

In a later interview, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell described the incident as an "unnecessary and unexplainable loss" and said the league would work to ensure the safety of its employees and people at NFL properties. "There are no excuses for those senseless acts," he stated, while noting that violence and hatred are a broader, ongoing concern across the country and around the world.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing as authorities review security procedures at the building and timeline of events that day. The OCME’s finding linking the gunman to CTE does not establish a motive but aligns with notes the shooter reportedly left claiming he had CTE and blaming the NFL for his condition, and requesting his brain be studied.