NYC shooting witness recalls chaos and fear during gunfire: 'It felt like you were in a war zone'

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Panic swept through Midtown Manhattan on Monday, 28 July evening as a gunman opened fire inside a high-rise at 345 Park Avenue, killing four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, and critically injuring a fifth, before dying by suicide.

The gunman was identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura.

As terrified workers barricaded doors and fled the building, bystanders nearby were also caught in the chaos.

One witness who had been dining in a nearby plaza described hearing rapid gunfire and seeing shattered glass. Another, inside the building, recounted rushing into a conference room and texting her parents, “I love them.”

Eyewitnesses recall chaos during Manhattan shooting

Nekeisha Lewis was eating dinner near the Park Avenue building when the shooting began. “There was so much rapid fire and so many people fleeing,” she said to NBC news. Glass shattered from the building as gunshots rang out, and moments later, she saw someone running out of the high-rise calling for help.

Lewis said she and her partner noticed the person was wounded and tried to help get him to safety. “It felt like you were in a war zone,” she said, calling it the scariest situation she’s ever experienced.

She praised the quick response from authorities and how they moved people to safety.

Inside the building, Jessica Chen was attending a second-floor presentation with about 150 people when the first shots were fired. “We heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor, and a lot of us just rushed into the room,” she told ABC News.

“Some went out in the back door, out onto the street. Other people, including me, we ran into the conference room and then eventually barricaded the tables across the doors and just stayed still,” Chen said.

“I texted my parents, 'I love them,’” she added. “Nothing can describe that feeling.”

Chen recalled school active shooter drills and said she had often wondered how she might react in a real-life situation. “It’s unfortunate that all Americans could think this through,” she said.

Gunman killed four before shooting himself

Tamura, a Las Vegas resident, arrived at the building around 6:30 pm in a double-parked BMW and entered the lobby wearing body armor and carrying a high-powered M4 rifle.

According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, he immediately opened fire, shooting an NYPD officer and spraying the lobby with bullets.

“He made his way to the elevator bank, where he shot a security guard,” Tisch said. “He then went up to the 33rd floor, where he shot another person before shooting himself in the chest.”

In total, four people were killed, the off-duty police officer, two other men, and one woman. A fifth victim remains in critical condition. Tamura was found dead on the 33rd floor.

Tisch said Tamura drove across the country from Las Vegas and had a license to carry a concealed weapon in Nevada. Authorities have found no known connection between him and any of the companies housed in the building.

During a search of Tamura’s vehicle, officers discovered a rifle case, a loaded revolver, multiple magazines, ammunition, a backpack, and medication prescribed to him. “We believe this to be a lone shooter,” Tisch said.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed that the motive is still under investigation.