Hazel Sanchez: Let's go back to our lead story, the deadly Midtown shooting. The gunman killing four people including a police officer before turning the gun on himself.
Dan Mannarino: We have our team of reporters that are on this every step of the way all morning long as we continue to get new information. The newest information we just got was from our sources telling us about a suicide note that was found on the gunman's body, a three page handwritten letter which kind of pointed to the NFL and CTE as a possible motive here.
We have Mayor Eric Adams joining us right now to tell us more about how the investigation is progressing. Mr. Mayor, are you there? Can you hear us?
Mayor Eric Adams: Yes, I can.
Mannarino: And our condolences, Mr. Mayor, on the loss of this police officer. And this morning when you look at it, folks are really trying to make sense of the tragedy, right? And we learned from our sources, just heard about this, about this note that was found on the suspect. Any more insight that you can provide right now to help New Yorkers understand a potential motive of what they saw play out?
Mayor Adams: Yes, the note was found on the suspect, he stated he had CTE, a brain injury known for those who played contact sport of some nature. And he seemed to have blamed the NFL. The NFL headquarters was located in the building. And he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator banks.
As you know, in many of our corporate buildings, based on the floors you want to get to, you have to go to certain elevator banks. And he went on the wrong elevator bank, which took him to Rudin Management. And that is where he carried out an additional part of his horrific shootings.
Our officer, he was slain in the entryway to the right as soon as he entered the building, the suspect entered the building. And he appeared to have first walked past the officer, and then he turned to his right and saw him and discharged several rounds. Officer Islam's life was taken after the shooting.
Sanchez: Just awful. Mr. Mayor, do you know if the suspect had any prior communication with the NFL?
Mayor Adams: It does not appear he had any prior communication. Our partners in Las Vegas are telling us that he appeared to have had some form of mental health issues. We have not confirmed that fully yet. But he was not an NFL player.
And it appears as though he was blaming the NFL for his CTE matter. And he shot himself and took his own life, shot himself in the chest, of what appears to have been that he wanted to preserve his brain for a reason of research. But at this time, we do not know of any communication that he had with the NFL at all.
Mannarino: Mr. Mayor, what can you tell us about– I know you said the NYPD is working closely with your partners in Las Vegas? Do they have detectives on the ground in Vegas already with the NYPD looking at a timeline of how he may have arrived here in New York with this building in his sight?
Mayor Adams: He appeared to have arrived yesterday. And this is what makes our challenge so difficult when you have suspects bringing guns into our city. Our Police Department, we have removed, as you know, over close to 23,000 illegal guns.
But the challenge of dealing with those who come from areas with lax gun laws that allow individuals who have these high-powered weapons and enter cities like New York that have strong gun laws. We are going to communicate with our federal and state partners in Las Vegas to drill down on this as much as possible, including looking at his social media pages, anything that he may have in his home, so that we can continue to piece this investigation together.
Sanchez: Do you know if he owned all of those weapons that the officers found? Did he own them legally?
Mayor Adams: He seemed to have had a carry permit. We are further investigating that. As you know, in other municipalities, it is fairly easy to get a concealed and carry permit. It's more challenging here in our city.
But he appeared to have had a concealed weapon permit. We're going to, out of an overabundance of caution, you're going to see our critical response teams at our large shopping locations. But we do not believe there's any additional gunmen that's involved. So we want New Yorkers to know that you will see a visible police presence, but also a non-visible police presence to make sure we protect the people of this city.
Mannarino: Mr. Mayor, the loss of life here is just so tragic. When you look at that image of him carrying the gun into the building, it is chilling. And the NYPD officer, Didarul Islam, was working as paid detail in the building, meaning he was in his NYPD uniform. Do you know—I know it's early in the investigation—if he had any time to react to the suspect walking into the lobby with that long gun?
Mayor Adams: From the video that I saw, he had very—a short period of time, I would say, to be able to respond. This gunman was clear on his intention to bring harm. He shot several people in the lobby, including a young lady who was an employee there and a security guard.
I really want to commend Rudin Management for the safeguards they have taken. It's unfortunate that these active shooter drills we must carry out. Our corporate partners and corporate security teams, they have been collaborating with us throughout the last three years. They had several safeguards in the building, including a safe room, which was a bathroom with a bulletproof door that you can lock yourself inside. And when you see these safeguards that the security team at Rudin Management put in place, I believe it saved many lives.
Sanchez: You know, I know we have not—you have not released the names of the other victims yet, but what can you tell us about those victims who have yet to be named?
Mayor Adams: Several were employees in the building. One was a security guard. He was shot right after the police officer was shot, police officer Islam. And if we were—if he was not shot, he would have been able to hit a button that could have froze the elevators.
But the suspect immediately took his life and just intentionally assassinated him right on the floor of the building. And others were employees of the companies in the building. We had a total, as you know, we have a total of six people who were shot. One of them was a suspect, and four we lost, and one is still in critical condition.
Mannarino: Mr. Mayor, I know it was a tough night and a busy night for you and the team and the NYPD. We appreciate you making the time this morning. And our hearts and our thoughts and prayers go out to the NYPD officer and his family as well.
Sanchez: And this entire city.
Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.
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