Dive Brief:

• The companies managing and providing security at 345 Park Ave in New York City were negligent for having inadequate measures to stop the mass shooting that occurred in the building last year that left four people and the gunman dead, a lawsuit filed by the widow of one of the victims claims.
• The “gunman strolled across the 345 Park outdoor plaza … while in possession of an openly displayed M4 assault rifle [and yet] not a single security measure — physical barriers, weapon detection systems, cameras, or human surveillance — deterred, detected, disrupted or delayed the gunman’s unimpeded path from the street, up steps and across the plaza to the lobby doors,” said the lawsuit, filed Jan. 16 with the New York State Supreme Court.
• The National Football League, a tenant in the building that officials say was the likely target of the shooter, was also named as a defendant for not playing more of a role in building security despite knowing it could face violence from people suffering from the kind of head trauma that is well-documented in football players. “Defendants knew or should have known of threats of violence from either former NFL players or others suffering from [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] after playing football, who may incite violence,” the lawsuit said.

Dive Insight:

Gunman Shane Tamura carried a letter in his pocket when he shot three people on the first floor of 345 Park Ave. He then took the elevator up 33 floors and shot a fourth person before turning the gun on himself on July 28. The letter claimed he had CTE from his days playing high school football that caused violent urges in him. “Study my brain please,” the letter said. “I’m sorry.”

Didarul Islam, an off-duty New York City police officer who was on a security detail at the building, was the first person Tamura shot. Islam’s widow filed the lawsuit seeking damages from the NFL as well as the companies she said were obligated to keep building occupants safe: Rudin Management, which owns and manages the building, and McLane Security. Affiliates of the companies were also named.  

The lawsuit lists dozens of measures the defendants could have had in place to prevent or limit the impact of a shooter like Tamura but didn’t. 

“As a high-profile, high-end commercial office building, 345 Park was obligated to deploy the most robust, best-practice, effective and fully operable security system available,” it said. 

Among other things, the building didn’t have an adequate weapon detection system or cameras with video analytics capable of alerting security that Tamura was crossing the building plaza carrying a visible weapon. There was no system to notify building occupants of the risk once the shooting started, nor an automatic shutoff to prevent the gunman from accessing the elevator. Nor was there a system for security to communicate with the police. There was also no panic function for shutting off building systems.  

Elizabeth Eilender, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Islam’s widow, said the management team had not put in place security measures that would be expected of a building with tenants like the NFL and Blackstone, the global asset management firm.

“He took the elevator up like a food delivery guy,” Eilender told the New York Daily News.

The family of Julia Hyman, an employee with Rudin Management who Tamura shot on the 33rd floor, possibly looking for the NFL offices, is reportedly considering filing their own lawsuit. The family has hired Alex Spiro, an attorney who has represented clients in high-profile cases, including rapper Jay-Z and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, CBS News reported. 

Rudin Management declined to comment. McLane Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.